President orders quick action to stop forest fires

JAKARTA (JP): President B.J. Habibie on Monday ordered immediate action to stop forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, warning the country against a repeat of the 1997 fires.

Speaking to participants of the Environmental Management Workshop at the State Palace, the President said he had received reports on spreading forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. He said haze from the fires was beginning to interrupt people's activities.

"Therefore, related departments and institutions must as early as possible coordinate to take steps to prevent the fires from becoming more widespread," he said.

In 1997, the World Wildlife for Nature (WWF) and the Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) estimated that forest fires ravaged more than one million hectares of forest and shrub. The government declared the haze a national disaster following reports that about 20 million people, including children, suffered from the long-term carcinogenic effects of exposure to the smoke.

"We must ensure that our forest is not burned because of our negligence. If this happens our environment will be more damaged," the President noted.

In his report to the President, State Minister of Environment Panangian Siregar did not discuss the problem, which is again causing concern in neighboring countries. Speaking to reporters after the ceremony, the minister said his office did not have sufficient data on the situation.

However, he said nomadic farmers were the most responsible party for fires in Kalimantan, with plantation firms responsible in Sumatra.

Meanwhile, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat said in a statement on Monday, that its Regional Haze Action Plan Coordinating Support Unit (RHAP-CSU) was intensifying its monitoring of the haze situation in view of its reoccurrence.

In its report, dated Aug. 5, the body said a number of hot spots were observed in northern Sumatra, including Riau and North Sumatra provinces, and in West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan provinces.

"Air and satellite surveillance shows that in these provinces most of the fires were less than one hectare in scale and located close to villages and other human settlements. However, some fires were caused by plantation companies," the report said.

Malaysia, Singapore, and even Brunei have raised concerns over a possible repeat of thick smoke which blanketed the region as a result of 1997 forest fires. There are fears in Brunei the haze may disturb the ongoing Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Bandar Seri Begawan.

According to a TVRI report on Monday, residents in some areas of Riau, including the provincial capital of Pekanbaru, have taken to wearing masks as a preventative measure.

Data from the Ministry of Forestry and Plantations shows that at least 475 hot spots were detected in Kalimantan and another 23 in Sumatra on Aug. 3, mostly in plantations and timber estates.

Pekanbaru authorities decided on Monday to temporarily close kindergartens and again urged residents to use masks and stay at home as much as possible. They said airborne ash particles had reached hazardous levels.

The Pollutant Standard Index (PSI) ranged between 500 in the morning to less than 100 in the afternoon in the city, said Amrizal, a local official. Under normal condition, the PSI range was between zero and 50, he said.

On Monday, fog also covered Batam island, which is 35 kilometers northeast of Singapore. Batam's Geophysics and Meteorology head Subagiono, however, said the situation was still under control and the haze level was normal.

Antara reported that for the past three days smoke has covered Jambi, leaving the capital dusky. The official news agency reported that at least 29 hot spots were being monitored there.

Head of Sultan Thaha Airport, Yuli Sudoso, said air traffic was not affected by the smoke. (prb)