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)