Saving what's left of forest foliage and its precious fauna
By P.J. Leo
BALIKPAPAN, East Kalimantan (JP): The fires in East Kalimantan are far from dying down. Who knows how many decades will pass before the forests are green again and safe for all its inhabitants.
Now, coal sources are exposed to the sun's rays; the trees protecting them no longer stand. Fires from under the earth ignite surrounding dry foliage and spread rapidly.
The Wain River forest reserve has not been spared, only 3,500 hectares of 10,000 hectares remain. It is the only water source for the oil city of Balikpapan.
Willie Smits of the nearby Wanariset Samboja research center or said that when the river dries up, the only solution for a water supply would be to build a sea-water installation.
Speaking in early April to officials of the local Environmental Impact Management Agency and Vico Indonesia, Smits said, "Maybe Pertamina (the state oil company), which is very dependent on the Wain, and other parties can join and do what must be done here. Help us put out the fire now..."
Charred vegetation is everywhere. Animals who usually shy away from humans now lie around helpless. Orangutan babies are falling from trees, unable to live with the smoke and heat.
"We have treated 150 orangutan during the drought," said Smits. He and his colleagues have been patrolling the area night and day, but have been unable to stop the fire; only 20 hectares of the 3,500 hectares of the research area remain.
The fires also threaten wells and oil and gas pipes. Scarred areas and smoke surround the mining area of Vico Indonesia in Muarabadak, Kutai, East Kalimantan.
Field superintendent for health safety and environment of Pertamina Vico, Kartono Pawiro, said that although the pipes are heat resistance, they could explode if exposed to continuous fire.
"During the drought, fires occur everyday in the forests and in sites around drilling and pipes," he said.
Bontang and Kutai also house other Pertamina partners, such as Unocal Indonesie and Total Indonesie, which export to Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
Residents wake up every day wondering where they will get clean water. The city and its outskirts are witness to the same scenes of people walking long distances to queue in long lines for water.