Rain brings some relief but haze is still a threat

Rain brings some relief but haze is still a threat

JAKARTA (JP): In some drought-stricken areas of Indonesia,
residents have started to breathe easier because of downpours
over the past two days, but haze remains a threat for a greater
part of the country.

Antara reported yesterday how residents pulled out cans and
other containers to catch rain that suddenly fell on Friday over
Tulungagung and Malang in East Java, and the South Kalimantan
regencies of Tabalong, Hulusungai Tengah, and Hulusungai Selatan.

In Pagat and Hantakan, two cities at the foot of the Meratus
mountain range, rain fell without stopping from Thursday morning
until early Friday.

The agency also reported rain four times this week in some
parts of Central Kalimantan where fires had been ravaging its
forests. Residents said they felt blessed because of the rain
that fell on Bukit Batu, Palangka Raya, Kasongan-Kereng Pangi,
Kotawaringin and Asam Baru.

"It feels fresh, even though the rain didn't last for more
than an hour," said one resident, pointing out how the rain
helped chase away the haze from forest fires that had been
blanketing the area.

In Central Java, Semarang residents also felt a breath of
fresh air when rain fell on Friday for several hours. In fact,
some parts of the city became flooded due to the poor sewage
system.

However, residents in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau, were
still forced to inhale the smoke and haze which limited
visibility to less than 100 meters. Two days of downpours had
apparently failed to freshen up the air in the area, Antara
reported.

The residents had to put their protective masks back on,
complaining about the return of the choking smog which they said
had disrupted their lives for the last three months.

The city was reportedly quiet with many open places deserted
by people who chose to stay at home. Only some public transport
was seen roaming the streets yesterday.

An officer at Simpang Tiga Airport, Yasrin, said the airport
had been closed down again since Friday.

The Disaster Management Coordinating Department in Riau
announced that efforts launched by the government, the local
people and Malaysian firefighters had managed to put out all of
the forest fires in the province.

Minister of Forestry Djamaludin Suryohadikusumo said on Friday
that the country's forest fires, which had spawned a toxic haze
over Southeast Asia, had been receding as shown in the latest
satellite images.

"According to NOAA's (National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration) satellite images, the number of fire spots have
decreased," he said.

Djamaludin did not specify how many fires had been put out,
but said the haze had lessened over Kalimantan and Sumatra, the
two largest islands where most of the fires were started.

In Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, haze reportedly blanketed
the floating markets on the Barito river on Thursday and
continued until Saturday, Antara said.

"The haze scared off most people here. They are afraid of
losing their way because they can't see their way on the river,"
said Aluh, a vegetable vendor at the river market.

Visibility on the river was reportedly down to only 100
meters, prompting boats to turn on their lights during the day to
avoid collision.

However, visibility at the province's Syamsuddin Noor Airport
was gradually returning to normal to about 2,000 and 3,000
meters. Visibility was limited to 500 meters the previous two
days, the news agency said.

"We'll keep monitoring the haze, but we're pessimistic that
there will be winds to blow all the haze away. That's why the
haze is seen as not moving in the air," an official at the
airport was quoted as saying. (aan/swe)