Devianti Faridz Channel NewsAsia 25 Feb 14;
JAKARTA: Indonesian weather forecasters in central Sumatra have predicted winds blowing in the northeast direction when the dry season officially returns to Southeast Asia.
It means, if preventive steps are not taken early on, haze could worsen and spread towards Malaysia and Singapore.
Around Riau in central Sumatra, more than 6,000 hectares of oil palm plantations, community-owned sago and rubber farms have been affected by fire.
Most of them are caused by illegal slash-and-burn operations to clear land.
Forecasters said seasonal rain is expected in the middle of next month, but the dry conditions are due again by the end of May.
And given the spate of fires already this year - they warn affected locals not to take drastic action.
Aristya Ardhitama, meteorologist and forecaster of Pekanbaru Meteorology Climatology and Geophysics Agency, said: "Sometimes when we issue a weather forecast notifying of reduced rainfall, the public takes advantage of the information and misuses it. They would then clear land when a dry spell occurs."
Large parts of Malaysia and Singapore were cloaked in haze from blazes in Sumatra last year, and environmental organisations said the Indonesian government must tackle the issue through legislative reform.
As a starting point, a bill on spatial planning, which has yet to be ratified in Parliament, would address the technical confusion of which government institution is responsible for the fires.
Muslim, a coordinator from Jikalahari, said: "For example, if it is a forest fire, authorities in the Agricultural Ministry cannot take action. Similarly when it occurs on plantations, the Forestry Ministry cannot step in. There's an SOP that gets in the way."
Given the weather conditions, deterrence is also a factor.
The Riau provincial administration has spoken directly with forestry and plantation companies to try and persuade them from practising slash-and-burn operations.
Local police have also spread leaflets to the public and spoken to village elders.
But very few individuals or companies are being punished due to lack of evidence.
Guntur Aryo Tejo, Riau Police spokesman, said: "The locations of the fires are remote and hard to access. In our investigations, we also face difficulties in collecting evidence and eyewitnesses' accounts."
Legal experts said different versions of maps and disputed lands between companies and the public also make it difficult to pinpoint who is ultimately responsible for starting the fires.
As the prospect of prolonged intense haze increases, the Home Ministry in the capital has instructed Riau's newly-inaugurated administration to take firm action.
But any decisions are still hamstrung by restrictive budgets, and issues with monitoring and law enforcement.
It means for now, the winds are bringing little change, just haze.
- CNA/de
Burning smell could be due to vegetation fires
Channel NewsAsia 24 Feb 14;
SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) says the current dry weather conditions have led to a number of vegetation fires in Singapore over the past few weeks.
And these fires could have contributed to the burning smell detected in some areas.
Meanwhile 18 hotspots were detected in Sumatra on Monday, and haze was visible in Riau province.
The NEA says prevailing north-easterly winds will keep the haze away from Singapore.
But it cautions that Singapore may experience the occasional slight haze due to the accumulation of particulate matter, especially in the morning.
As of 9pm, the 3-hour PSI stands at 36.
- CNA/ir
