Sarwono wants all-out effort to combat haze

Sarwono wants all-out effort to combat haze

JAKARTA (JP): State Minister of Environment Sarwono
Kusumaatmadja called yesterday for continued alertness and urged
individuals with expertise to assist in alleviating the haze
problem.

"We need to increase alertness around Indonesia," he said.

"All government instructions to extinguish fires should be
conducted in an integrated way," he said.

He called for cooperation between the government, the general
public, the business sector and the international community, but
stressed the importance of local actions.

"The lead should be taken at the local level," he said.

Sarwono said the government badly needed information
technology equipment, mapping information and digital computer
experts to locate hot spots.

"If there are any digital computer experts out there, please
help us here. If necessary, ask your company for an absence of
leave," he said.

Sarwono warned the prolonged dry spell, the rise in average
temperatures and the strong and changing wind could contribute to
the spread of the fires.

He said recommendations were being drawn up to deal with this
year's weather patterns, greatly influenced by El Nino effects.

"The weather is king. We have to be ready and adjust ourselves
to its pattern. Not the other way around," Sarwono said.

Based on El Nino's wind patterns, Sarwono said there is a
possibility the haze may come to Jakarta in November.

The Environmental Impact Management Agency's coordination
center told The Jakarta Post yesterday that as of Friday the
fires had razed about 71,636 hectares of forests, 46,375 of which
were productive forest.

Cleansing

While operations to douse escalating forest fires continue,
the government is stepping up relief in areas most afflicted by
thick haze caused by the fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra.

Director General of Medical Services Soejoga said the
government had sent 400,000 masks plus hundreds of thousands of
medical supplies to people in North Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, South
Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and East Kalimantan.

The masks would protect residents from ash and other haze
particles and the medicine would assist those suffering from
respiratory problems, Soejoga said as quoted by Antara in
Bandung, West Java.

More than 32,000 people are suffering from respiratory
problems and eye irritations.

Malaysia and Singapore have also been affected by the haze.

A Ministry of Health official in charge of research and
development, Umar Fahmi Achmadi, said the haze contained a blend
of dangerous chemical substances, including sulfur dioxide (SO2),
hydrogen sulfide (H2S), nitrogen monoxide (NOX), carbon monoxide
(CO), suspended particulate matter and ammonia (NH3).

Soejoga said each hospital in the provinces was provided with
an isolation ward, but its capacity would be inadequate to
accommodate babies, children and the elderly.

"The most feasible protective measure is to avoid outdoor
activities for the time being," he said.

Separately, Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar
Anas, who also heads the country's National Disaster Management
Coordinating Agency, said in Bandung that the haze blanketing
large parts of Southeast Asia was also due to El Nino, a climatic
phenomenon which sucks moisture from the western side of the
Pacific Ocean, disrupting normal weather patterns and inducing
prolonged dry spells in much of the region.

He said Indonesia accepted international offers of assistance
to put out the fires.

"It shows the spirit of solidarity among countries in the
region which have an interest to help us," he said.

Malaysia has deployed 1,000 firefighters, with Japan,
Australia, Singapore and South Korea having revealed their
commitments. (amd)