Three die as haze engulfs Palangkaraya
Three die as haze engulfs Palangkaraya
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
At least three people have died and 60 more are suffering from
respiratory problems as thick haze from forest fires burning out
of control continues to engulf Palangkaraya, the provincial
capital of Central Kalimantan.
Central Kalimantan deputy governor Nahson Taway said on
Tuesday that the haze, which he claimed was worse than last
year's, had also forced airport authorities to close the airport
over the past few weeks.
"We are worried that the problem will persist as the fire
spreads very fast across the peat land during the current dry
season," Nahson said after reporting the haze problem to Vice
President Hamzah Haz.
"The province needs more help because the haze is getting
thicker every day," he said.
The central government sent 30,000 masks and medical teams to
handle the cases of respiratory problems in the province.
Nahson said the local administration was completely powerless
in facing the fires and could only hope for heavy rains to put
out the peat land fires across the province.
He said the province's airport had been closed since Aug. 26,
forcing authorities to get supplies from Banjarmasin, South
Kalimantan, and transport them overland to Palangkaraya.
"It slows down getting the supplies for our province because
we need more time to transport them from Banjarmasin," the deputy
governor said.
Haze resulting from forest fires has become a perennial
problem for Kalimantan and Sumatra over the past few years,
especially during the dry season.
The worst haze disaster happened in 1997, when the smoke from
forest fires spread even to neighboring countries Malaysia,
Singapore and the Philippines.
"We haven't received any complaints yet from neighboring
countries, but we are concerned because the haze problem is worse
than last year's," Nahson said.
Central Kalimantan Environmental Agency chief Sjahrani Sjahrin
said on Tuesday that hot spots had increased significantly across
the country. He did not elaborate further.
In East Kalimantan, smog was blanketing several areas in the
southern part of the province on Tuesday as a consequence of the
slash-and-burn method of clearing land in the Bukit Soeharto
area.
Haze-hit areas include Balikpapan, Kutai Kartanegara,
Samarinda and the Pasir district, the head of the province's
Meteorology and Geophysics Office, Syamsul Huda said.
The smog, he said, was the result of the slash-and-burn method
to clear land and forest fires started by local residents, he
said, adding that the smog had been covering the southern area
over the past few days.
"The smog covering Balikpapan is not sending haze to Central
Kalimantan or West Kalimantan provinces," Syamsul told Antara.
Thick haze has also been beleaguering West Kalimantan,
especially its capital Pontianak, over the past few weeks,
forcing airport authorities to delay daily morning flights by up
to two hours.
The government has yet to take action against the corporations
and individuals responsible for starting forest fires.
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
At least three people have died and 60 more are suffering from
respiratory problems as thick haze from forest fires burning out
of control continues to engulf Palangkaraya, the provincial
capital of Central Kalimantan.
Central Kalimantan deputy governor Nahson Taway said on
Tuesday that the haze, which he claimed was worse than last
year's, had also forced airport authorities to close the airport
over the past few weeks.
"We are worried that the problem will persist as the fire
spreads very fast across the peat land during the current dry
season," Nahson said after reporting the haze problem to Vice
President Hamzah Haz.
"The province needs more help because the haze is getting
thicker every day," he said.
The central government sent 30,000 masks and medical teams to
handle the cases of respiratory problems in the province.
Nahson said the local administration was completely powerless
in facing the fires and could only hope for heavy rains to put
out the peat land fires across the province.
He said the province's airport had been closed since Aug. 26,
forcing authorities to get supplies from Banjarmasin, South
Kalimantan, and transport them overland to Palangkaraya.
"It slows down getting the supplies for our province because
we need more time to transport them from Banjarmasin," the deputy
governor said.
Haze resulting from forest fires has become a perennial
problem for Kalimantan and Sumatra over the past few years,
especially during the dry season.
The worst haze disaster happened in 1997, when the smoke from
forest fires spread even to neighboring countries Malaysia,
Singapore and the Philippines.
"We haven't received any complaints yet from neighboring
countries, but we are concerned because the haze problem is worse
than last year's," Nahson said.
Central Kalimantan Environmental Agency chief Sjahrani Sjahrin
said on Tuesday that hot spots had increased significantly across
the country. He did not elaborate further.
In East Kalimantan, smog was blanketing several areas in the
southern part of the province on Tuesday as a consequence of the
slash-and-burn method of clearing land in the Bukit Soeharto
area.
Haze-hit areas include Balikpapan, Kutai Kartanegara,
Samarinda and the Pasir district, the head of the province's
Meteorology and Geophysics Office, Syamsul Huda said.
The smog, he said, was the result of the slash-and-burn method
to clear land and forest fires started by local residents, he
said, adding that the smog had been covering the southern area
over the past few days.
"The smog covering Balikpapan is not sending haze to Central
Kalimantan or West Kalimantan provinces," Syamsul told Antara.
Thick haze has also been beleaguering West Kalimantan,
especially its capital Pontianak, over the past few weeks,
forcing airport authorities to delay daily morning flights by up
to two hours.
The government has yet to take action against the corporations
and individuals responsible for starting forest fires.