Haze to cloud western part of N. Sumatra

JAKARTA (JP): Haze due to forest fires is expected to linger and envelop the western coastal area of North Sumatra for the next three weeks, officials disclosed on Friday.

In a meeting with the Medan city administration, the head of North Sumatra Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) Sutrisno and the head of Regional Environmental Management Agency (Bapedalda) Suangkupon Siregar said weather conditions were not favorable enough to propel the haze farther.

The officials also warned residents in the area to be careful of sparking new fires, especially those who live in drier areas.

They predict that dry weather will last till September. There may be occasional rains but it will not be enough to clear the haze particles.

Meanwhile, the smoky haze again enveloped the Polonia International Airport, disrupting air traffic.

On Friday morning the BMG reported that visibility had dropped again to about 1,000 meters, resulting in the delay of all flights departing and heading to the airport.

The airport was closed till about noon on Thursday as the visibility during most of the morning was only about 700 meters, far below the minimum requirement of 1,200 meters for airflight.

The visibility gradually increased to 1,000 meters, and by afternoon, it changed drastically to 1,500 meters.

Satellite pictures released by BMG indicate that the source of the haze lingering in Medan came from 41 hotspots which have been burning for the past week.

They are mainly located in Barumun forest, Labuhanbatu and North Tapanuli.

In New York, an environmental expert from the World Resources Institute (WRI) Charles V. Barber, said that Indonesia's government has failed to create an effective mechanism to set even the most minimum standards to manage its national forestry resources.

"Indonesia's forestry policy is legalized and motivated by the illicit timber industry," Barber said as quoted by Antara.

Barber has just written a report about forest fires and forestry policy in Indonesia during a time of crisis and reform, with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Yayasan Telapak Indonesia.

Barber warned that the forest fires will continue unless the government changes its forestry policy.

WRI recommends that the government postpone the new concession for oil palm and other plantation investors until the national forest inventory is complete.

It also suggests a strong punishment for responsible parties. (09)