Indonesia: President cancels visits to Riau, Jambi due to thick haze

Antara 26 Sep 15;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo cancelled his visits to Sumatras provinces of Riau and Jambi on Friday morning due to thick haze, according to the commander of the Bukit Barisan military region.

"The presidential aircraft could not land in Jambi just now, and so, it then left for Jakarta," Major General Lodewyk Pusung stated.

He said the president and his entourage were initially scheduled to visit several locations in the two provinces that were affected by the fires.

On Friday morning, thick haze engulfed most of Sumatra, where a total of 1,465 forest and land fires were detected.

"According to the monitoring conducted by the Terra and Aqua satellite this morning, there were 440 more fires. Today, 1,286 out of the 1,465 hotspots were concentrated in South Sumatra," Sugarin, the head of the Pekanbaru office of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, stated.

He stated that there were 63 hotspots in Bangka-Belitung and 41 each in Bengkulu and Lampung.

In the past two days, Riau province had been free of fires, but on Friday, 16 hotspots had been detected there.

Eight of the hotspots were found in Pelalawan district, five in Indragiri Hulu, two in Indragiri Hilir, and one in Siak.

Sugarin stated that the fires had reduced the visibility in Riau, with Rengat in Indragiri Hulu recording a visibility of only 100 meters; Pelalawan 200 meters; Dumai city 1.5 thousand meters; and Pekanbaru four thousand meters.(*)

Canal blocking to be constructed in South Kalimantan soon
thejakartapost.com 25 Sep 15;

National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Willem Rampangilei and Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo have said that their institutions plan to jointly develop canals to prevent forest fires in South Kalimantan.

They revealed their plan after attending a coordination meeting with local military chiefs, officials of the Environment and Forestry Ministry and representatives of the local governments.

During the visit to the province, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had instructed BNPB and the local governments to construct the canals to prevent forest fires.

“TNI will deploy soldiers and excavators to support the canal blocking construction. Other parties like Public Works and Public Housing Ministry as well as private companies will support the canal blocking construction,” said BNPB spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho on Friday as quoted by tempo.co.

The construction of the canals will be implemented in two areas: Jabiren Raya and Sebangau Kuala in South Kalimantan. The funding for projects will come from BNPB's treasury fund.

By Thursday, there were around 1,508 hot spots observed all across South Kalimantan, mostly in the Pulang Pisau area with 616 hot spots and Kapuas with 366 hot spots.

In trying to stop the forest fires, the Environment and Forestry Ministry will supply the BNPB with more personnel and equipment to extinguish forests.

“The BNPB head has already instructed us to add more personnel, to deploy more water bombing helicopters and aircraft to stop the forest fires,” said Sutopo as quoted on tempo.co. (nov/bbn)(++++)


Idul Adha celebrated amid haze
Rizal Harahap, thejakartapost.com 24 Sep 15;

After receding in the last two days, thick smoke from land and forest fires has once more blanketed Pekanbaru, Riau, forcing thousands of Muslims to perform Idul Adha prayers in dense haze.

Based on monitoring data from the Pekanbaru Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on Thursday, fog mixed with smoke had reduced visibility in the city to just 50 meters.

“Other cities in Riau have also been blanketed with haze, but their conditions are not as bad as in Pekanbaru. In Rengat and Pelalawan, for example, the visibility is around 200 meters while in Dumai, conditions are much better, reaching 4 kilometers,” BMKG Pekanbaru head Sugarin said on Thursday.

Sugarin added that the smoke currently blanketing Riau was probably from other provinces in southern Sumatra. “According to date from the Terra and Aqua satellites on Thursday morning, Riau has no hot spots. Meanwhile, South Sumatra has 200 hot spots, followed by Lampung [12], Jambi [4] and Bangka Belitung [2].”

On Wednesday, the number of hot spots in Sumatra reached 1,025. “South Sumatra detected 791 hot spots, followed by Bangka Belitung [123], Jambi [60], Lampung [36], Riau [nine] and one hot spot in Riau Islands,” Sugarin said.

“Currently, winds are tending to blow from south to north. That’s why Riau has continued to be blanketed with haze despite having very few hot spots,” he added.

Despite the thick haze, Idul Adha prayers ran smoothly in hundreds of locations in Pekanbaru. At the Pekanbaru mayoral office, thousands of civil servants and local residents prayed to commemorate the Prophet Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Ishmael. In the garden of the Sang Nila Utama Museum building, at least 3,000 residents performed their Idul Adha prayers. The Air Defense Artillery Battalion (Arhanud) Baterai P’s exercise field was also provided as a space for Panam residents to pray.

Panam resident Ridwan Fauzi said he was very sad to see people forced to pray in dense smoke. “They have to be very careful on the road on the way to pray. It’s really bad. The smoke was very thick this morning,” Ridwan said. (ebf)

Jokowi orders canal network to be built immediately
Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, The Straits Times/ANN Jakarta Post 26 Sep 15;

President Joko Widodo wants large canals with dams built in fire-prone areas to ensure peatlands are not drained during the dry season, becoming tinder for forest fires.

He made the decision after visiting Central Kalimantan on Thursday to inspect the damage from raging fires that eventually led to the current haze crisis. The province was the worst hit by illegal forest fires this week, which sent the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in the area to "hazardous" levels.

Peatlands, which are usually waterlogged and formed over thousands of years, consist mainly of decomposed vegetation, making them carbon-rich and highly flammable during dry seasons.

During his visit to Pulang Pisau regency in Central Kalimantan this week, Mr Joko had personally witnessed how fast fires developed and spread over peatlands starved of moisture.

He then directed the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) to take action "immediately and build the canals on a large scale", adding that financing for the project would come from Jakarta since the local government did not have the funds to pay for it.

Mr Joko had planned to travel to North Sumatra to visit evacuees affected by the recent eruptions of Mount Sinabung, and to inspect firefighting efforts in other parts of Sumatra.

But the worsening conditions in Central Kalimantan prompted the President to cancel the trip and extend his stay in the province.

Green activists yesterday hailed Mr Joko's decision to create a more robust irrigation system, adding that canals when properly laid out - linking them to an upstream river - could keep peatlands humid and prevent hot spots from spreading.

Building a network of canals, however, could be a counter-productive endeavor if no sluice gates are installed to prevent water from running off, warned Mr Mukri Priatna of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi).

"This will prevent fire from spreading," he said. "The area with a high supply of water should be linked to the lower supply areas using canals."

Mr Mukri pointed out an area called Sei Tohor in Riau province's Meranti islands, where Walhi had helped to plan a canal network on the lands of local farmers. "The fact is that Sei Tohor isn't burning this year," he added, referring to the canals built in September last year. "The success in Sei Tohor can hence be emulated elsewhere."

As with previous years, the haze crisis has affected millions living in Indonesia, as well as neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.

The blanketing smoke is set to remain until November, due in part to the dry spell caused by the El Nino effect, said to be among the strongest since records were kept in 1950.

The BNPB had said that it will need not only more boots on the ground to fight the fires, but also more money to deal with the crisis. Some 4,800 troops have been deployed to fight fires in both Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Singapore has offered its assistance to resolve the crisis but Indonesia has yet to accept the help.

The Star reported yesterday that a meeting between Malaysia and Indonesia over the haze crisis has been put off for the third time.

Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar and Indonesia's Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar were scheduled to meet in Jakarta on Thursday to discuss the contents and terms of a memorandum of understanding to combat the transboundary haze.

A new date for the meeting had yet to be set, said the Malaysian authority. "The haze is getting worse and a state of emergency has been declared in a number of places in Indonesia." (k)


Situation turns grim in Kalimantan and Sumatra
Francis Chan, Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja THE STRAITS TIMES AsiaOne 25 Sep 15;

The haze crisis continued to intensify yesterday with conditions in Kalimantan and Sumatra reaching alarming levels, and no respite for the two Indonesian regions on the Muslim holiday of Hari Raya Haji.

Kalimantan, which shares a border with Malaysia, appears to be the worst hit. All but the north of Borneo island was shrouded in smoke from forest fires, according to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

Its spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told The Straits Times yesterday that 2,081 hot spots were recorded in Kalimantan in the morning, of which 1,508 fires were concentrated in the central region.

Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings for the Central Kalimantan capital of Palangkaraya were not available for most of yesterday.

Air pollution levels for the city, however, soared to almost 2,000 PSI the previous day, before hovering at 1,096 later that afternoon. A PSI reading over 350 is hazardous; while 151 to 250 is considered unhealthy.

Prevailing winds from South Sumatra have also brought the haze to Jambi and Riau provinces, with Pelalawan, Kampar and Bengkalis most affected, said Mr Sutopo.

He added that the smoke from illegal forest fires has also significantly reduced visibility in many of the towns and called on provincial authorities to take immediate action.

"As with previous years, there are fires burning again in Pulang Pisau and Kapuas in Central Kalimantan, and we hope the local authorities will help watch out for and prevent such actions," he said.

"We have thousands of soldiers and police on the ground fighting fires but it is never enough, Residents must watch their own respective areas."

Some 4,800 soldiers and policemen have been deployed to support firefighting efforts in Sumatra and Kalimantan, and the BNPB plans to send 600 more troops to help.

Indonesia has struggled to stop the forest fires - the primary source of the haze which has become an annual crisis affecting millions across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

The haze is set to remain until November, in part as a result of the dry spell caused by the El Nino effect.

President Joko Widodo, who was visiting emergency workers in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan on Wednesday, had planned to inspect ground conditions and firefighting efforts in Sumatra yesterday but the worsening conditions in Kalimantan prompted him to postpone the trip.

He chose instead to make a 130km journey by road to Pulang Pisau and nearby Kapuas.

"The President thinks he needs to see for himself the raging forest and land fires in Central Kalimantan considering the level of emergency," said Mr Ari Dwipayana, who heads the presidential communications team. "He wants to make sure that all elements are working hand in hand (to solve the crisis)."

Mr Atmaji Sumarkidjo, a close aide of Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Panjaitan, said yesterday that Indonesia is taking the crisis seriously in terms of combating the raging blazes and taking those responsible for the illegal fires to task.

When asked why states of emergency have not been declared by the authorities in affected provinces, Mr Atmaji said some governors are worried that would make them seem weak or incapable.

"This, however, would not make them look good ahead of pilkada," he added, referring to the upcoming regional elections in Indonesia.

Haze crisis intensifies, disrupts health, Idul Adha celebrations
Rizal Harahap and Ina Parlina, The Jakarta Post 25 Sep 15;

Smoke produced by land and forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan has continued to intensify over the past few days, severely threatening the health of local residents and disrupting celebrations of the Islamic Idul Adha holiday.

In Central Kalimantan, the Palangkaraya municipal administration declared on Wednesday an emergency status after smoke that has blanketed the provincial capital over the past several weeks brought air pollution to a hazardous level.

The level of particulate matter (PM10) in the city was measured at above 1,000 micrograms per cubic meter (µg/m³) on Wednesday, more than twice the minimum level of the “dangerous” category of air pollution.

According to the government’s existing guidelines, air quality is considered “healthy” if its PM10 level stands below 50 µg/m³ and “dangerous” when it surpasses 420 µg/m³.

“The emergency status for haze [in the city] is effective from Sept. 22 to Oct. 3,” Palangkaraya Disaster Mitigation and Fire Agency’s disaster unit head Satriadi said on Wednesday as quoted by Antara news agency.

The Central Kalimantan Health Agency earlier reported that at least 27,000 local residents had suffered acute respiratory infections (ISPA) from July to September and has declared the situation an extraordinary occurrence.

The haze crisis also disrupted the celebration of the Islamic Day of Sacrifice on Thursday morning, with thousands of Muslim residents forced to perform the Idul Adha mass prayers in outdoor or semi-outdoor locations shrouded by smoke.

“We need to pray to God to end the disaster that has hit our land,” acting Central Kalimantan Governor Hadi Prabowo said after attending mass prayers at Darussalam Mosque in Palangkaraya.

Central Kalimantan, along with West Kalimantan, Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra, are among the provinces hardest hit by the air pollution originating from fires in peatland and plantations.

In Pekanbaru, Riau, thick smoke also blanketed hundreds of Idul Adha prayer locations across the city, forcing most worshippers to don masks. “We get used to it. What else can we do?” Ridwan Fauzi, a local Muslim resident, told The Jakarta Post.

Meanwhile in Batam, Riau Islands, two commercial aircraft heading to Hang Nadim International Airport had to be diverted on Thursday to Kualanamu International Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, because of poor visibility.

The ongoing haze crisis has been exacerbated by this year’s prolonged dry season triggered by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

North Sulawesi Forestry Agency head Herry Rotinsulu said that fires, triggered by both human error and natural factors, had razed 2,140 hectares of forest in the province.

During his visit to the location of peatland fires in Pulang Pisau regency, Central Kalimantan, on Thursday, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo ordered the digging of canals around the peatland to prevent fires from reoccurring.

“I stood still for five minutes there and the fires got bigger. Canals are key. We need immediate and massive canalization,” the President said.

In response to the worsening fires, Jokowi decided to cancel his trip to North Sumatra on Thursday; he had been scheduled to oversee the relocation of Mount Sinabung eruption victims.

Eva Aruperes in Manado and Apriadi Gunawan in Medan contributed to this article


Number of hotspots in Sumatra increases
thejakartapost.com 25 Sep 15;
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency’s (BMKG) Pekanbaru chapter recorded the increasing number of hot spots in Sumatra at 1,465 on Friday from 1,025 on Thursday.

“The image from Terra and Aqua satellites this morning showed 440 more hot spots. There were 1,465 hot spots, mostly in South Sumatra, whose number reached 1,296,” BMKG Pekanbaru head Sugarin said on Friday as quoted by Antara.

There were 63 hot spots in Bangka Belitung, 48 hot spots in Jambi, 41 hot spots in Bengkulu and 41 hot spots in Lampung.

There were no hot spots in Riau for the past two days, but there were 16 hot spots on Friday. In the province, eight hot spots were seen in Pelalawan, five hot spots in Indragiri Hulu, two hot spots in Indragiri Hilir and one in Siak.

According to Sugarin, the bush and forest fires in Riau caused visibility to decrease in a number of places.

“The visibility in Rengat and Indragiri Hulu was 100 meters, 200 meters in Pelalawan, 1,500 meters in Dumai and 4,000 meters in Pekanbaru,” Sugarin said.

The weather in Riau was generally fine with clouds and haze covering several areas. “There are chances for light to medium rain with strong winds in the evening until night in the central, northern and western parts of Riau,” he added. (edn/bbn)(++++)