Thick haze threatens Riau, Aceh, Kalimantan

Thick haze threatens Riau, Aceh, Kalimantan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The annual choking haze has reached alert levels on mainland
Riau, including the provincial capital of Pekanbaru, with
authorities warning residents to stay indoors as much as
possible.

The reappearance of the haze, which has occurred annually for
the past decade due to the burning of rainforests on Sumatra and
Kalimantan, has been met with the same authorities calling for
action to be taken -- but little is ever done against the
military dominated forestry companies.

Riau health office deputy chief Ekmal Rusdi said on Friday
that the thick smoke had reached alarming levels.

"We call on the people to stay indoors as much as possible,
especially at nights. The conditions can cause respiratory
problems and lung diseases," he was quoted by the Antara news
agency as saying.

Many residents in Pekanbaru were observed wearing cloth around
their faces for protection as they traveled in the open.

The thick smoke covers several regencies in the province
following fires in supposedly protected rainforests in Dumai,
Minas and Kampar and in forest areas in the regencies of Rokan
Hulu and Rokan Hilir.

"A fire is still burning in the conservation forest along the
Dumai River and in the Bukit Rimbang and Bukit Baling
conservation forests in Kampar and Minas regencies," Natural
Resources Conservation Unit (BKSDA) chief in Riau Jhon Kenedie
said.

Jhon called on relevant authorities to take action against
individuals and companies using fire to clear land for farm and
plantations because besides having triggered the chocking haze,
the fire had spread to protected forests, home to thousands of
rare species.

With the help of the National Oceanic Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) in Singapore, the provincial administration
has detected a large number of hot spots throughout the province.

The Environmental Management Agency (Bapedalda) said NOAA
satellite imagery had located 10 major fire areas in forests
owned by timber companies PT Sumatra Sinar Plywood, PT Rokan
Permai Timber and PT Arara Abadi.

Authorities at the Sultan Syarih Hasyim airport said the haze
had not yet affected air operations in the province.

The haze is also threatening to hit the war-torn province of
Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra island, due to fires in the
regencies of Aceh Singkil and Central Aceh.

The haze has begun to affect motorists in the provincial
capital of Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar regency.

The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) in Banda Aceh said
the haze covered parts of the city but had yet to affect airport
operations.

Meanwhile, authorities in Kalimantan repeated warnings that
the haze covering parts of the island could affect the people's
health and daily activities unless the burnings stopped.

The South Kalimantan administration has put in place heavy
penalties for individuals and companies using fires to clear land
for farms and plantations.

Local forestry office deputy chief Basuniansyah said it had
detected 73 hot spots in 14 regencies in the province. Most were
located near and inside company owned forests.

"Our team is still in the field investigating," he claimed.

West Kalimantan Governor Usman Ja'far warned plantation
companies and forest concession holders against setting fires,
saying any violators of environmental and forestry laws should be
taken to court.

He said all regents and mayors in the province should be
aggressive in preventing the fires that had plagued the province.