Indonesia: MPR urges govt to declare haze national disaster

Antara 8 Oct 15;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Consultative Assembly (MPR) Hidayat Nur Wahid has urged the government to declare the haze affecting several parts of Indonesia a national disaster.

He said such a declaration will enable professional and effective measures to kick in to address the menace.

"The losses (caused by haze disaster) have reached more than Rp3 trillion. If it is declared a national disaster, full scale efforts can be launched to deal with the situation," he said here on Thursday.

By declaring the haze a national disaster, the people will be able to perceive that the government is committed to cope with the situation, he said.

In addition, the country will be able to direct its budget towards handling this disaster by setting up a smoke emergency operations task force, among other steps, he said.

"With every passing day, (the handling of haze) has been increasingly taking a back seat. People are putting up posters. Doesnt the President see them?" he asked.

It is not late to handle the haze even at this stage since the lives of the people of Indonesia are involved, he said.

The slow handling of the haze will take its own toll and even upset neighboring countries, he said.

"It is not late (to handle the haze at this stage) rather than ignoring it. The disaster will claim lives in the long run," he said.

The haze disaster, which has lasted for more than a month, has now become a serious problem because it has taken its own toll and is threatening the lives of other people, he said.

The President must focus on resolving the haze problem by ensuring that the affected people feel a sense of security and protection, he said.(*)

Joko Postpones Haze-Hit Jambi Trip, Will Visit W. Sumatra Palace Instead
Jakarta Globe 8 Oct 15;

Jakarta. Decreasing visibility levels due to thickening haze in Jambi has forced President Joko Widodo to postpone his trip to the province to Saturday.

The president will instead visit the Bung Hatta Palace in Bukit Tinggi, West Sumatra, said Bey Mahmuddin, head of the state press bureau.

After two previous cancellations, Joko and first lady Iriana Joko Widodo were set to leave for Jambi on Thursday morning, but deteriorating air conditions in the province forced them to change course.

Joko will on Friday fly to Riau, Bey added.

Riau has been the hardest hit by toxic smog since the haze crisis began, with more than 200 forest fires detected across the province.

The provincial capital Pekanbaru reported on Thursday morning that visibility in the area dropped to as low as 50 meters.

"[Joko's] schedule, therefore, is still tentative, depending on the weather," Bey said as quoted by state news agency Antara.

Joko was planning to visit patients suffering from acute respiratory ailments at hospitals in Jambi before observing fire extinguishing efforts in the province on Thursday.

Data from Indonesia's climate agency showed that the air pollution index in Jambi reached 392 as of 11 a.m. Any reading that surpasses 350 is considered hazardous.

Haze delays President Jokowi`s visit to Jambi
Antara 8 Oct 15;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) delayed his visit to Jambi as the haze hindered the landing of the presidential plane at Sultan Taha Airport in Jambi, Thursday.

"It is likely on Saturday if the weather is fine. It is still tentative," Bey Mahmuddin, the head of the presidential press bureau, noted in Padang, West Sumatra, on Thursday.

The president had changed his schedule to visit West Sumatra. On Friday (Oct. 9), Jokowi will visit Kampar District, Riau Province, by car to monitor the efforts to extinguish forest fires.

Earlier, President Jokowi was scheduled to pay a working visit to the provinces of Jambi and Riau, which have been badly affected by the haze from forest and plantation fires.

President Jokowi and First Lady Iriana along with some ministers departed from Halim Perdana Kusuma Air Force base at 10 a.m. local time.

The head of state will supervise efforts to extinguish the forest fires in the two provinces whose inhabitants have been reeling under the impact of the smog that has reached a hazardous level over the past few weeks.

On Saturday, the president will visit Mentawai Island to oversee the progress in development and the condition of the local community on the island devastated by a deadly tsunami in December 2004.

Jokowi will also officiate a groundbreaking ceremony of Mandeh tourism zone in South Pesisir and will visit a cattle ranch in the district of 50 Kuto.

On Sunday, he will inspect the construction work of an airport rail link in Padang and will officially close the Tour de Singkarak cycling competition in West Sumatra.(*)

Smoke worsens in Pekanbaru, again
thejakartapost.com 8 Oct 15;

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Pekanbaru, Riau, said smoke from land and forest fires had worsened again, reducing the visibility in the city to only around 50 meters on Thursday morning.

“Smoke shrouding Pekanbaru this morning was mixed with fog, reducing the visibility to only around 50 meters after it improved to around 1,000 meters on Wednesday morning,” BMKG Pekanbaru head Sugarin said as quoted by Antara news agency.

He further said apart from Pekanbaru, thick smoke from land and forest fires was also detected in several areas in Riau, such as in Rengat, Indragiri Hulu regency, where the visibility stood at only 500 meters.

Haze was also reported to have continued to blanket Pelalawan, in which the visibility was around 200 meters. Haze in Dumai was reported to have declined on Thursday morning, with the visibility reaching 1,000 meters.

Meanwhile, BMKG Pekanbaru said that as of 5 a.m. local time on Thursday, Terra and Aqua satellites detected 202 hot spots in areas across Sumatra.

“Most of the hot spots are still focused in South Sumatra, with 198 hot spots. Bangka Belitung and Lampung have one hot spot each,” said Sugarin. (edn/ebf)(++++)

12 companies named suspects in forest, land fires
thejakartapost.com 8 Oct 15;

Twelve companies have been named suspects by the police in forest and land fire cases. Two of them include foreign investment companies, namely PT Antang Sawit Perkasa (PT ASP) and PT Kayong Agro Lestari (PT KAL).

The National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) chief Comr. Gen. Anang Iskandar told kompas.com on Thursday that the cases involving PT ASP and PT KAL were being handled by the Central Kalimantan Police and West Kalimantan Police, respectively.

In addition to the companies, the police also named 211 individuals as suspects, based on 242 police reports with total burned areas reaching 42,677 hectares.

According to Anang, 24 cases are currently under investigation, while 57 cases have been handed over to the prosecutor's office.

He added that the police would continue to investigate all of the fire-related cases in cooperation with other government institutions as sanctions would be given to companies that are proven to be guilty. (kes)(++++)


Smoke claims new victim, triggers prolonged health crisis
Rizal Harahap and Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, The Jakarta Post 8 Oct 15;

The prolonged haze crisis in Sumatra and Kalimantan continues to overwhelm local residents and authorities, as the disaster has created a severe health crisis that has been fatal in the worst-affected areas.

In Riau, thick haze that has blanketed the provincial capital of Pekanbaru for several weeks has claimed the life of local civil servant Muhammad Iqbal Hali, 31, who died earlier this week from suspected respiratory failure.

Iqbal, who worked for the Riau office of the Religious Affairs Ministry, passed away on Monday en route to a local hospital. Iqbal, who suffered from asthma, returned home early that day due to severe breathing problems.

“He could not breathe. His face was pale. I hugged him and he hugged me back. He lay down and then was silent,” Iqbal’s father, Hasan Amal, said as quoted by Antara news agency on Wednesday.

Over the past few months, air pollution from fires on peatland and plantations has severely affected several regions in Sumatra and Kalimantan, particularly Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Sumatra and Central Kalimantan.

The crisis has been exacerbated by this year’s prolonged dry season, caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

Last month, a 2-year-old child and a 15-year-old student from Jambi also died after experiencing acute respiratory infections (ISPA).

Data from the Pekanbaru station of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) pointed to 421 hot spots indicating land and forest fires across Sumatra as of Wednesday. Of those, 351 were detected in South Sumatra, 45 in Lampung, 14 in Jambi, seven in Bangka Belitung and four in Bengkulu.

“Despite the absence of hot spots in Riau, the province will remain enveloped by thick haze as long as there is no rain in the southern part of Sumatra and no change in wind direction,” said Slamet Riyadi, the station’s data and information division head.

In West Sumatra, thick smoke blanketed Payakumbuh and Bukittinggi on Wednesday, reducing visibility in the two municipalities to below 800 meters.

Despite the harsh environment, many people were seen outdoors without masks. A number of families were also seen taking their children to visit the Jam Gadang (Big Clock) tower, a landmark building and main tourist attraction in Bukittinggi.

“We could not leave our kids at home. They wanted to come along sightseeing, but it’s difficult to find a suitable mask for a baby,” said Yunita from neighboring Agamn regency, who visited Bukittinggi with her husband and their 5-year-old and 1-year-old daughters.

According to the BMKG, Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan has become the city with the worst air quality in the country after its level of particulate matter (PM10) was measured at an average of 623 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) on Wednesday morning.