New Straits Times 11 Oct 12;
PONTIANAK (Kalimantan): The haze here is so predictable that its coming is like an annual event.
But while the millions of people in the Indonesian half of Borneo have learned to live with it, resentment is growing among them against the oil palm plantations which are the root cause of it all.
Locals, like restaurant owner Karmawandy Jogya, 29, blamed the plantation owners for the open burning that triggered the haze.
But what angers them more is that the authorities here "are not doing anything about it".
"After years of experiencing this, we have learned to ignore it" Karmawandy said.
"Yes, we have learned to live with it. Life still goes on," said farmer Yenny Suroyo, 43.
Yenny and several of the villagers at the outskirt of the provincial capital ignored the thick haze that was enveloping their village as they worked in their padi fields.
A thunderstorm last Sunday, reportedly the first downpour in more than two months, brought little respite.
Luckily, despite visibility going down to less than 3km, all commercial flights coming into and out of here, a city of nearly five million people, have not been affected.
"The haze situation today is the worst we have seen in two months," said trader Iwan Firdaus, 42.
Iwana said while open burning was the traditional and cheapest way for farmers to clear land for agriculture, their burning activities were only on a small scale.
"The major plantation companies are the ones which are to blame for this haze because of their large-scale burning."
Despite the danger to their health, people like Karmawandy, Iwan and Yenny continue with their daily chores outdoors as they have to earn a living and feed their families.
For the farmers, the current dry season is the start of their second padi planting season.
As of Tuesday, the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre satellite image showed moderate to dense haze over southern Borneo.
Last month, during the Asean environment ministers' meeting in Bangkok, Indonesia was urged to ratify its stand in the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.
At the meeting, one of the main issues discussed was the identification of companies responsible for causing the haze by sharing of concession maps and cross-referencing hotspot locations.
The Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution is an environmental agreement signed 10 years ago between all member countries to reduce the haze pollution in Southeast Asia.
The agreement binds signatory countries to take proactive steps in stopping haze pollution from land and forest fires within their territories, through strict regulations, heat-seeking satellites and firefighters' training.
Although the agreement was signed by all member countries, Indonesia is the only Asean member which has yet to endorse it.
Four years ago, Indonesia refused to endorse the bill on trans-boundary fire haze because the bill did not mention illegal logging issues. By Dennis Wong
R
