Haze spreads while govt only hopes for rain

The Jakarta Post Pekanbaru/Jambi/Medan/Jakarta

Haze from cropland and forest fires was spreading on Wednesday to other parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, and had begun to blanket Singapore and Malaysia, delaying more flights in Riau province and forcing local motorists to wear masks.

But Indonesian authorities appeared powerless in their efforts to tackle the annual haze and instead hoped heavy rain would put out the fires.

Ministry of Forestry spokesman Transtoto Handadhari blamed traditional farmers for starting the fires across Sumatra island, which then spread to forest areas.

"During the dry season local farmers usually clear the land by using the slash and burn method at the edge of the forests for future cultivation. It's a tradition, and it is hard to stop. We can only hope for rain," he said.

Transtoto did not say whether the farmers or others would face sanctions for defying a government ban on setting fires to clear land.

He said his office has assigned special task forces, called forest fire brigades, to help extinguish the blazes.

However, Riau forestry office deputy head Sudirno admitted that authorities had not maximized efforts to extinguish the fires, which he said mostly affected bush areas.

"If the bush fires are overcome, they will not necessarily be completely extinguished, but could even spread in the undergrowth to nearby areas. So, it's very difficult to put them out unless there are heavy rains," he said.

Poor visibility caused by the smoke delayed at least two flights of Merpati and Jatayu to Sultan Syarif Kasim Airport in Pekanbaru.

"The two planes should have landed in Pekanbaru at 7:30 a.m., but due to the haze they arrived from Medan at 10:15. However, generally the situation is already normal," airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II head Sutrisno said.

He said visibility was 400 meters by 7 a.m and increased to 700 meters two hours later, while at 11 a.m. it further improved to 1,700 meters.

At least eight flights were delayed in Pekanbaru earlier on Tuesday and another was diverted to Medan when visibility reduced to 300 meters, as haze drifted toward neighboring Malaysia.

Malaysia Education Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said on Wednesday he would consider closing several schools if the air quality deteriorated further.

Southern Malacca state chief minister Mohamed Ali Rustam has ordered outdoor school activities to stop temporarily.

"Asthmatic patients and old folk are encouraged to stay indoors while commuters are advised to wear masks on the road as a preventive measure," Mohamed Ali said as quoted by the Star newspaper.

Shifting winds brought hazy conditions to Singapore from the fires on Sumatra, but the air quality was still deemed safe, environmental officials said on Wednesday.

The haze is expected to prevail in Singapore over the next few days, the National Environment Agency (NEA) was quoted by AFP as saying.

Singapore has protested to Indonesia over the smoke. "The complaint by Singapore continues to alert us of the haze problem," Sudirno said in Pekanbaru.

But Vice President Hamzah Haz played down the protest, saying it was not unusual if Singapore and Malaysia were affected by the haze because the two countries benefited from illegal logs from Indonesia.

Asked whether Indonesia should apologize to the two neighbors, he said while visiting Pekanbaru, "We should probably discuss it first".

Though thinner in Pekanbaru, smoke also shrouded parts of Sumatra, including Jambi and North Sumatra provinces.

"The condition causes black smoke if the fires spread quickly and are not extinguished," senior Jambi forestry official Joko Fajar said.

Local meteorologists warned the haze in North Sumatra could worsen during the start of next month's dry season.

Despite the serious 1997-1998 forest fires, which drew worldwide attention with funding and firefighting equipment received, haze has remained an annual problem for Indonesia.

"The haze problem is complex," said Luca Tacconi, a senior scientist for the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR).

"You have the economic benefit that comes from burning crop and plantation lands and then it is very difficult to enforce the law in Indonesia as well," he told DPA.