Indonesia to seed clouds in effort to contain fires
Indonesia to seed clouds in effort to contain fires
KUCHING, Malaysia (Agencies): Indonesia plans to start cloud-
seeding today to try to contain forest fires said to be raging
out of control in eastern Borneo, Environment Minister Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja said yesterday.
"As of tomorrow, we will be employing weather modification
methods," he said after meeting his counterparts from the other
eight member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian
Nations (ASEAN) to discuss joint measures against fires which
engulfed much of the region in a thick haze last year.
"Clouds are now coming into Kalimantan," he told a news
conference, referring to the Indonesian part of the island. "The
conditions are favorable. We will seed the clouds. It can be
serious if it is neglected."
Sarwono said the area of damage in Eastern Kalimantan was some
4,000 hectares and most of the fires were in secondary forests.
"Fires in damaged secondary forests are very hard to control,"
he said. "There is an immediate need to mobilize weather
modification equipment and also small planes. It is not
sufficient but it can limit damage."
The Indonesia minister said East Kalimantan had experienced
only two months of rainfall over the past year, in November and
December, and land clearing by the private sector was only a
"small" factor behind the fires.
Southeast Asian nations, worried over new forest fires in
cash-strapped Indonesia, appealed yesterday for international aid
to help prevent the blazes from creating a recurrence of last
year's smog crisis.
They said the United States, Germany, France and Canada had
offered aid, but more was needed.
Raging fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra last year threw a thick
blanket of smog over much of Southeast Asia, causing a health
hazard, forcing many schools to close and hitting tourism. This
year's fires have caused intermittent smog on Borneo island.
"The meeting noted that the fires in east Kalimantan are of
serious concern because of the prolonged dry weather and welcomed
any immediate international assistance, especially in enhancing
the fire-fighting capacity," the ministers said in a joint
statement issued during a one-day meeting.
The ministers said the United States had offered US$4 million
and the Asian Development Bank another $1.2 million to help ASEAN
develop a strategy to prevent a recurrence of the smog crisis. In
addition, the ADB is preparing a $1 million grant for Indonesia.
Germany, France and Canada have also pledged aid, but more
would be needed, they said.
"The fires in the forests are very difficult to control,"
Sarwono said, adding that currently Indonesia had only three
planes for dropping water on the forest fires.
Indonesia's economic crisis has raised worries it will lack
the resources to fight the fires, a senior ASEAN official said.
"What is more, there is increased pressure on people and firms
to clear the land with fire and use it to raise much needed
income," said the official, who asked not to be identified.
The ministers called on Indonesia to spell out what it needed
to combat the new blazes, including international assistance, and
urged Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur to activate a bilateral disaster
plan signed last year that could help Indonesia fight the fires.
Malaysia and Indonesia last year signed a memorandum of
understanding on cooperating in combating natural disasters, but
it has not yet been activated.
The ASEAN ministers urged the two nations to implement the
pact quickly so other countries could channel aid through it.
ASEAN groups Brunei, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.
Sarwono said it was impossible now to determine how much aid
Indonesia might need as it would depend on weather conditions.
But he noted that each airborne operation cost $3,000 per
hectare.