Palangkaraya mayor orders indefinite closure of schools
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Palangkaraya Mayor Salundik Goyong ordered schools in the city on Wednesday to close indefinitely because of the worsening haze blanketing the provincial capital of Central Kalimantan.
In a circular issued on Wednesday, the mayor instructed all schools be closed from Sept. 25 until the situation in the city became conducive for education activities.
At 7:30 a.m., visibility in the city had fallen to between five and ten meters, with the concentration of dust particle in the air (PM10) reaching 1,244 microgram/M3, far in excess of the normal level of 50 microgram/M3.
The concentration of carbon monoxide (CO) had reached 29.20 milligram/M3, which is in the danger level. When inhaled, CO enters red blood cells and damages eyesight, the nervous system, and could lead to heart rhythm disorder, paralysis, coma or death.
The head of the Palangkaraya Meteorology and Geophysics Bureau (BMG)'s technical unit, Hidayat, said on Wednesday the dry season in the province would end by the end of this month, with the rainy season expected to arrive early next month. The haze could be dissipated next month if rainfall reaches the normal level of 100 millimeters.
Rain is considered the most effective way to douse the fires in the area, since these hot spots can go down as far as three meters beneath the surface.
Meanwhile, a drizzle on Wednesday in Pontianak, the provincial capital of West Kalimantan, was insufficient to dissipate the haze that has covered the city as a result of fires in Ketapang regency. With visibility limited to 50 meters early in the day, motorists were forced to use their headlights.
The haze also shrouded Kapuas River, which connects West and South Pontianak with East and North Pontianak.
Schools in the city began two hours later than usual, but mid- semester exams went ahead as scheduled. Supadio Airport reported that although visibility was limited to 400 meters, planes from two Jakarta-based airlines, Pelita Air and Batavia Air, landed as scheduled in the morning.
"It is possible that larger concentrations of rain will fall in the province, except Ketapang regency, by the afternoon or night and clear the air of the choking smoke," the head of BMG's technicians group, Maroni, was quoted by Antara as saying.
Meanwhile, a team from the Kotawaringin Timur Control of Forest and Ground Fires, Central Kalimantan, plans to inspect 11 oil palm plantations alleged to have started fires to clear land.
The team chairman, Ketut Wirawan, said executives at the plantations could be fined Rp 3.5 billion or be given a maximum jail term of 10 years if found guilty of violating the environmental law prohibiting the use of fire to clear land.
He said PT Bina Sawit, PT Gunung Sejahtera Jolly, PT Kridatama Lancar, PT Persada Bina Nusantara, PT Sungai Rangit, PT Sumber Mahardika Graha, PT Surya Barokah, PT Wana Sawit, PT Bunu Sejahtera Indah, PT Cipta Nada Lestari and PT Harapan Sawit Lestari would be investigated for possible violations.
Wirawan, however, said a common vision was needed among law enforcers, whether prosecutors or the courts, to impose the law, since no plantation in the province had been penalized although they had been found setting fires to clear land.
Meanwhile, the air quality in Samarahan, Sri Aman and Kapit in the East Malaysian state of Sarawak has reached unhealthy levels due to the fires in Kalimantan.