[Kabar-indonesia] Jakarta 'needs political will to tackle haze' [5 articles]

[Joyo at aol.com]

5 articles:

- ST: Jakarta 'needs political will to tackle haze'

- ST: Indonesia can tap external resources by ratifying pact

- Smothering Kalimantan waits for rains

- Indonesia says forest fires almost gone

- Many risk long-term damage from SE Asia haze-experts

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The Straits Times (Singapore)
Thursday, November 2, 2006

Jakarta 'needs political will to tackle haze'

Asean official says vast Indonesian territory makes problem
daunting

Keith Lin

INDONESIA needs immense political will and effective law
enforcement to resolve the haze problem, says Dr Raman
Letchumanan, the head of Asean's environment and disaster
management unit.

In an interview on Monday, the 52-year-old Dr Raman said the
vast extent of Indonesia's territory, coupled with its
dependence on agriculture and forestry, made the problem a
daunting one.

He said: 'We are not dealing with a single issue, it's a
complex problem. There are so many parties, so many
livelihoods involved.'

To make matters worse, the authorities have no relevant case
solutions to refer to. Natural conditions contributing to
the haze are rarely found in other parts of the world, said
the ex-Malaysian environment ministry official.

For example, 60 per cent of the world's peatlands, which are
highly flammable, are in Indonesia, he said.

Fires on peatland have accounted for about 60 to 80 per cent
of the haze since 1997-98, the last prolonged spell to hit
the region.

Indonesia must also educate stakeholders on alternative ways
to clear land, apart from slash-and-burn tactics.

Large-scale plantation owners in Malaysia are setting an
example by shearing crops and leaving them on the land to
rot, he said.

As for the small-timers who cannot afford to leave their
land unutilised for long periods, Dr Raman said burning must
be controlled.

'We must make sure all of them stagger their burning, or do
it on a rotational basis.'
This is where legislation is crucial, he said, adding that
Indonesia's environment laws are adequate but could do with
greater enforcement.

The Indonesian authorities should note how their Malaysian
counterparts are able to prosecute recalcitrant offenders
successfully, he said.

He also assured that Asean will continue to support
Indonesia in its efforts to resolve the haze issue, even
though the country is taking 'longer than expected' to
ratify the Asean anti-haze pact. This calls for member
states to act to prevent and control burning that can
pollute neighbouring countries.

He cited Asean's role in setting up a ministerial steering
committee last month as an example of its determination to
push for progress on the issue.

Apart from calling for high-level regional cooperation, the
grouping is also tacking the issue at the grassroots, Dr
Raman said.

It has been dissuading Indonesian farmers from adopting
slash-and-burn tactics, as well as educating them on the
perils of their actions.

As for the anti-haze agreement, Dr Raman believes it can be
used to further progress on the issue despite Indonesia's
non-involvement.

For instance, there should be clearer guidelines on the
specifics of the haze control fund, which was established by
Asean to finance haze-prevention measures.

'We have been discussing this over the last two years, but
now with the critical situation...this has taken some
measure of urgency,' he said.

He said Asean members may update the haze pact to make it
more relevant to the current situation, when they meet next
year.

Dr Raman was also optimistic about the progress made since
the last major haze in the region a decade ago.

'In terms of the process, there is greater cooperation. Now
we have more fire-fighting teams...and Asean countries are
helping Indonesia to put out the fires.'

But in terms of impact, he hastens to add that mother nature
has crippled progress.

'It's a fact that there's a longer spell (of El Nino) this
year. So when that happens, sometimes we are helpless.'

In the meantime, he is heartened by the commitment shown by
the various countries to tackling the issue.

'We can't expect to solve this over a couple of years, but I
think, over time, hopefully we can reduce the amount of
damage it causes us.'

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The Straits Times (Singapore)
Thursday, November 2, 2006

Indonesia can tap external resources by ratifying pact

Keith Lin

RATIFYING the Asean anti-haze pact will allow Indonesia to
tap external resources to deal with the regional haze
problem more effectively.

This has been spelt out by Dr Raman Letchumanan, the head of
the environment and disaster management centre at the Asean
Secretariat.

Under the terms of the treaty, member states are obliged to
work with one another to prevent and control fires once they
cause pollution in neighbouring countries.

'With such a complex problem involving so many parties, some
countries may not have the capacity to deal with the issue,'
Dr Raman said. 'This is where regional cooperation can come
in useful.'

The Asean haze treaty is the world's first such regional
agreement. It was adopted in 2002 following a prolonged
period of haze in 1997-98, which cost affected regional
economies an estimated US$9 billion (S$14 billion).

For the treaty to be fully effective, Indonesia must endorse
the document and ensure that it has laws and other measures
to end haze-causing activities.

Specific measures include educating stakeholders on managing
the fires and promoting alternative land-clearing methods.

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The Jakarta Post
Thursday, November 2, 2006

Smothering Kalimantan waits for rains

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thick haze from fires burning across Kalimantan worsened
Wednesday, with an official warning the situation may get
worse before heavy rains bring relief.

Haze blanketed the four provinces of Central, East, South
and West Kalimantan, with visibility falling to 100 meters
in parts of Central and South Kalimantan.

Residents in South Kalimantan said this was the worst the
haze has been for two months.

In Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, where Tjilik Riwut
Airport has been closed for the past month, the air
pollution index remained at the "dangerous" level.

Central Kalimantan Governor Teras Narang said Wednesday the
government would bring in two amphibious Russian aircraft
next week to help fight fires in the province. The water
bombers are currently fighting blazes in South Sumatra.

Despite the thick haze, schools reopened Wednesday after a
long holiday. However, classes began at 8 a.m. instead of 7
a.m. to allow the smog to clear.

"If the schools didn't reopen, students would have to work
too hard to catch up with their lessons and keep up with
other students in the country," the governor said.

Antara reported that visibility in parts of Central
Kalimantan was down to 100 meters. The thick haze was blamed
for an accident involving a bus and a motorbike on the
Palangka Raya-Butok highway which killed one person Tuesday.

Local farmers have traditionally cleared land for planting
by burning brush or the peat that makes up much of
Kalimantan's soil and which is highly flammable during the
dry season.

Police have detained several people believed to have set
fires to clear the forest for planting. However, this has
failed to satisfy critics, who blame the haze disaster on
ineffective law enforcement.

The haze Wednesday also caused flights to be delayed or
canceled at Berau, Tarakan and Bulungan airports, all in
East Kalimantan.

Berau airport was the worst affected, with visibility
falling to below 100 meters, forcing the closure of the
airport, Antara reported. In Bulungan, several flights were
delayed.

The haze had begun to clear last week thanks to a light rain
that fell in some regencies. But the smog worsened Tuesday
when the rains stopped.

Yusman, head of meteorology and geophysics at Temindung
Airport in the East Kalimantan capital Samarinda, said the
province was experiencing a drought caused by El Nino.

"Normally, the rains come in October but what is happening
now is that the temperature is continuing to rise," he said
Tuesday.

He said the heavy rains needed to extinguish the fires might
not come for two to three months.

"The temperature over the Pacific Ocean has increased by one
to degrees to 29 degrees Celsius," Yusman said.

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Indonesia says forest fires almost gone

JAKARTA, November 2 (Reuters) - Indonesia said on Thursday
90 percent of forest and brush fires that have produced
thick smoke blanketing much of Southeast Asia have died out
as regional officials met to discuss plans to tackle the
annual hazard.

The smoke, known in the region as haze, has affected much of
Southeast Asia for months, triggering fears of a repeat of
the choking situation that hit the region in 1997-98.

Indonesia's neighbours have grown increasingly frustrated by
the fires, most of which are deliberately lit by farmers or
by timber and palm oil plantation companies -- some owned by
Singaporeans and Malaysians -- to clear land for
cultivation. "It's OK now. Ninety percent of it is gone. I
hope it stays like that," Environment Minister Rchmat
Witoelar told reporters after opening a one-day regional
workshop to develop an integrated action plan to fight the
fires.

Recent rains have helped improve the situation, especially
on Sumatra island where the haze disrupted flights in
October.

The meeting in Jakarta discussed plans to set up an early
warning system, build dams to block streams and rivers to
divert water to underground peatlands and set up community-
based firefighting brigades on Indonesia's Sumatra and
Borneo islands, where most fires have raged. Bambang
Saharjo, a scientist at the Bogor Agricultural University
who has served as an expert witness in forest fire
investigations, said corruption was often to blame for
failure to bring firms responsible to justice.

However, he said law enforcement appeared much better this
year and police in West Kalimantan province on Borneo had
recently arrested the director of a local palm oil
plantation company.

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Many risk long-term damage from SE Asia haze-experts

By Tan Ee Lyn

HONG KONG, November 2 (Reuters) - From asthma attacks and
sore throats to scarring and abnormal development of lungs
in children, Southeast Asia's annual haze is a health menace
that affects millions of people and costs regional economies
dearly.

Apart from fuelling a surge in work absenteeism and medical
costs, choking smoke from Indonesia's forest and peat bog
fires since mid-Aug has scared off tourists and hurt
airlines, hotels and shop owners in Singapore, Malaysia,
Brunei and Indonesia.

This year's haze was among the worst in the past decade and
health experts say the effects of repeated exposure grow
over time, and can even stunt lung growth in children.

"At levels of pollution much lower than what we are talking
about here, young people in the most formative stage of
their development experience stunting of lung growth,"
Anthony Hedley, professor of community medicine at
University of Hong Kong said.

"I think that is a very likely outcome of these repeated
intermediate to long-term exposures of the populations in
Indonesia, Malaysia (and Singapore)," he told Reuters.

The fires, lit deliberately by farmers and plantation owners
on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra and large parts of
Borneo to clear land, emit particulates, sulphur dioxide,
carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone, all of which
can injure the heart and lungs.

This year's haze brought air pollution indices to worryingly
high levels and forced many to stay indoors.
In Singapore, the government has advised people to avoid
strenuous activities outdoors and to stay inside air-
conditioned environments. Complaints of asthma and lung,
throat and heart-related illnesses rose to nearly 15,000 in
the first week of October, 600 more than in the same period
a month earlier.

The region has not seen such a prolonged period of high
pollution since the haze of 1997-98, and fires are still
burning in southern Sumatra and parts of Kalimantan,
although the air in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur has cleared
in the past week.

Street sweeper Mohammad Soleh in Palembang in south Sumatra
complained: "I can only work for three hours instead of the
normal six hours. Even if I have a new mask every day, it
doesn't help. I have to cover my face with a shirt."

"Even that can only last for an hour. After than I have to
take a rest to catch my breath and soak my face.

In parts of Kalimantan, where the haze remains thick,
children went back to school on Wednesday wearing surgical
masks after a long break to celebrate the end of Ramadan.

COUGHING AND WHEEZING

In 1997-98, the haze blanketed a vast area, including
southern Thailand, and cost the region billions of dollars
in medical costs and damage to the tourism industry. The
fires burned for months in part because of a severe drought
caused by El Nino.

Every year since, the haze has returned in varying levels of
severity, causing acute eye and skin irritations, upper and
lower respiratory symptoms, coughing and wheezing.

Young children, the elderly and those with pre-existing
heart and lung problems suffer most, experts said.

Mazrura Sahani, environmental health expert at Universiti
Kebangsaan Malaysia, studied death records from 1996-2000 in
Malaysia's heavily populated Klang Valley and found that
deaths from respiratory problems rose by 1.1 percent for
very tiny increases in air pollution of the sort produced by
haze.

The smoke throws dangerously small particles into the
atmosphere. Measuring less than 10 micrometres in diameter,
or PM 10, more than 1,000 of these particulates can fit on a
pin-head and can seep into lung tissue.

"My study has shown that during the haze, the most prominent
pollutants are the PM 10, which are also among the most
dangerous because it goes into our lungs," she said.

Hedley said forest fires throw out "ultrafine" particles
smaller than 0.1 of a micrometre that even masks cannot keep
out.

David Hui, head of respiratory medicine at the Chinese
University in Hong Kong, said particulates of less than 5
micrometres can penetrate deep into the lower respiratory
tract.
"It can cause inflammation in the lungs and small airways
and result in scarring and prevent normal development of
lung functions," Hui told Reuters. (Additional reporting by
Mark Bendeich from Kuala Lumpur, Crack Palinggi from
Palembang and Mia Shanley from Singapore)

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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