Residents cheer sporadic rain amid drought, haze

Residents cheer sporadic rain amid drought, haze

JAKARTA (JP): Amidst pessimistic forecasts that the current
drought could drag on even longer, rains fell sporadically
yesterday to the great cheer from residents who had been
suffering from water shortages and foul air due to haze for the
past several months.

Three hours of drizzle lifted the spirits of residents in
Bandung, West Java. "It will at least be able to reduce dust on
the streets and the roofs," said Dadang, a local.

In Surabaya, the capital city of East Java, about 15 minutes
of rain was welcomed by residents of Tambaksari, Semampir and
Sukolilo districts.

Two hours of heavy downpours came over Banjarmasin, South
Kalimantan, early Friday, accompanied by lightning and strong
winds. Fog blanketed the city, which has for the past several
months been plagued by haze causing poor visibility and forcing
residents to wear not only protective masks but also use lamps to
light their way.

Earlier in the week, downpours in the Central Java regency of
Bojonegoro brought disaster. Strong winds and torrential rains
killed a ten-year-old boy on Wednesday and ruined 30 houses.

Sporadic rain also fell on Friday and Saturday in several
places in North Sumatra, Irian Jaya and North Sulawesi.

However, National Meteorology and Geophysics Agency officials
warned people not to expect too much, because dry winds coming
from Australia are still dominant and may delay the real monsoon
season.

"It is unlikely that the rainy season will come at least
before November," said agency chief Sri Diharto yesterday.

Minister of Agriculture Sjarifudin Baharsjah said Friday that
significant amounts of rain would unlikely fall before Christmas
this year.

This year's severe drought has exacerbated the problem of
forest fires and has caused health problems, as well as failed
crops and rice harvests in several provinces. Thick smog and poor
visibility has also caused a number of traffic accidents, the
last of which was the collision last Sunday of two boats in
Barito River, Central Kalimantan, killing 28 people.

President Soeharto denied last week that a food shortage has
forced people in some provinces to eat cassava for their daily
meals.

"Farmers in some regencies in Java prefer to consume tiwul
(foodstuff made of cassava) or mix it with rice because they
believe it gives them extra strength to work in their fields,"
Soeharto insisted.

A total of 461 drought-related deaths was recorded recently in
the regencies of Jayawijaya, Puncak Jaya and Merauke in Irian
Jaya.

Antara reported yesterday that toxic smoke has caused at least
11 deaths in Central Kalimantan during this dry season.

"More than 23,000 people have also suffered pulmonary
problems," the official news agency said.

Many residents in Sumatra and Kalimantan have suffered from
respiratory infections, pulmonary problems and asthma from the
haze caused by forest fires.

Choking haze from Indonesian forest fires also enveloped
Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, some parts of the Philippines and
Thailand. International criticism of Indonesia has been pouring
in because of the forest fires. (prb/42)