Forest Fires To Get Worse

Bandar Seri Begawan - Brunei is bracing for hazy days as hotspots in West Kalimantan have risen over 200 and Indonesia yesterday gave a dire warning that forest fires would worsen in the coming weeks.

The Meteorological Service of the Civil Aviation Department Monday said smoke from forest fires could reach Brunei if forest fires grow in size and the south-west -wind flow persists.

Malaysia choked on its worst pollution crisis in eight years on Wednesday, as forest fires from Indonesia smothered the capital in thick smoke, forcing schools, an airport and a port operator to shut down, wire services reported.

Asthma attacks soared and tourists huddled in air-conditioned shopping malls at one of the busiest times for the country's tourism industry, prompting the government to consider emergency measures and to offer its neighbour help in fighting the fires.

Meteorologists have blamed illegal land clearance by farmers on Sumatra Island and Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo Island, for causing the haze.

Satellite images revealed more than 220 'hotspots' from forest fires and from fires set to clear land in West Kalimantan province on Tuesday, said Kusnadi, head of the provincial forest fire team.

Kusnadi said the fires would worsen over the next two weeks as the indigenous Dayak tribes deemed it a good time to continue preparing for the planting season.

"Fires are still ongoing and, in the area around West Kalimantan, it's getting worse by the day. Air quality in many areas is unhealthy from night time until early morning," Kusnadi said.

The province had enough rangers to fight the fires but the problem persisted due to "ignorance" by local residents who continued clearing land with fires, and the remote locations of the blazes.

He also accused district officials in West Kalimantan of not doing enough to warn the Dayak tribes to stop setting fires.

"Apart from the lack of participation by local officials, we are also experiencing problems to reach the fires because they are too far away from water resources, which are also drying up, because of the dry season," he said.

Forest fires and land clearance were also continuing in Sumatra's Riau province, which faces peninsular Malaysia, said Khairul Zaenal, head of the province's environmental impact agency.

He said sporadic fires were raging along about 80 kilometres of peatland near the border of Riau and North Sumatra provinces.

"We have so far deployed 14 teams to contain the fire. Each team consists of up to 15 men. We still do not have enough men because the fire continues to rage on," he told AFP.

"This is not just Malaysia's problem. This is also a problem for us because if our forests are burning, our assets are also burning," said Zaenal.

He said he had sought help from the state technology research agency in Jakarta to attempt to create rain in the area. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

Click Here To Have Your Say On This Story

Brudirect.com News