Indonesia opts for cloud seeding to stop forest fires

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia will resort to cloud seeding in its efforts to contain forest fires that have been ravaging many parts of the country, State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja said.

The exact locations and times for the artificial rain, however, will be decided tomorrow.

Sarwono told The Jakarta Post in a phone interview yesterday that he was waiting for survey reports about the method's feasibility and the areas in need of immediate treatment.

He did not reveal which areas had been surveyed for cloud seeding. However, it is likely that the Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra provinces, where satellite imaging revealed the most "hot spots", would be prioritized.

This year's prolonged drought, which has hit several parts of the Southeast Asian region, has caused the worst bush, plantation and forest fires in Indonesia and Malaysia in the last 50 years.

The fires have caused major air pollution in the provinces of West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Riau, Jambi and areas in the neighboring countries of Malaysia and Singapore.

The thick blanket of haze has also put millions of people in the region in danger of respiratory problems and disrupted air transportation for the last three months.

In the latest developments, the air quality index has hit its highest level of 118 on the Pollution Index (PSI) in Singapore and 121 on the Air Pollutant Index (API) in Kuala Lumpur, according to a report in the Malaysian daily The Sunday Times yesterday.

Malaysia also plans to use cloud seeding today in a bid to clear away the haze that has plagued the nation for the last three months, the Times reported.

It is believed that the haze came from forest fires in Indonesia and persists because of the dry weather.

Sarwono said: "What's most important now is to impel people to stop burning (trees for the purpose of land clearing) and this needs local governments (across the forest fire-prone provinces) to develop a sense of urgency."

Though criticizing the Central Kalimantan's local government of being "a little bit too late" in taking action to prevent bush and forest fires from spreading across the province, Sarwono said the province had developed a "sense of urgency now."

The 110 million square-kilometer province is home to almost two million people and its forests covering about 11 million hectares.

"(Central Kalimantan's) governor and the administration levels below him have worked along with their people and the businessmen (the plantation and forest timber estates owners) to address the problems," Sarwono said.

He said the results of local government work could be seen from the decreasing number of hot spots detected through the satellite.

He said the province of South Sumatra was the nation's worst when it came to addressing the fire problems. The province was yet to respond to his office's demands despite being "routinely sent satellite data on the fires" for the last three weeks.

Sarwono said staff from the Environment Impact Management Agency would be sent to inspect the province's handling of the matter.

Sarwono has blamed the widespread bush and forest fires, which have affected more than 100,000 hectares, on the ignorance of big plantations and timber estate companies that still use fire to clear land. (aan)