Indonesia: President holds meeting in forest

Antara 24 Sep 15;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo held a meeting right in a forest, even as a fire raged, to discuss ways to develop canals to overcome such fires.

"We have already discussed this just now. The governor said he was not able to implement (such an idea) because the budget is not available at the district. So, I have ordered the BNPB (National Disaster Mitigation Agency) and the forestry ministry to immediately do the needful," he said while visiting a forest in the village of Sakakajang in the subdistrict of Jabiren, Pulang Pisau, Central Kalimantan, on Thursday.

Even as soldiers and police personnel were fighting the flames, the President held a meeting with Coordinating Minister for Political, Security and Legal Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan, Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya, TNI (military) Commander General Gator Nurmantyo, National Police Chief General Badrodin Haiti, head of BNPB Willem Rampangilei, Central Kalimantan provincial administration official Hadi Prabowo and Pulang Pisang district head Edy Pratowo.

President Joko Widodo said it was decided in the meeting that a canal would be built to overcome the fires on the 1,900 hectare peat land in Pulau Pisang.

"If the situation is as serious as this, concrete action must be taken," he said.

He said peat land is very vulnerable to fire and therefore, a canal must be built to stop the fire.

"Just five minutes after I entered (the peat land), a fire broke out. The fires are being triggered by something burning underneath the ground. So the key to overcome it is (constructing a) canal," he said. (*)

Indonesia working hard to extinguish forest fires: President
Antara 24 Sep 15;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Indonesia has been working hard to extinguish the forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan Islands by conducting water bombings and cloud seeding operations, according to President Joko Widodo.

As part of the efforts to end the haze disaster, he also urged the people in Martapura, the capital city of Banjar District, South Kalimantan Province, on Thursday, to stop setting fires to clear land.

Speaking to the people of South Kalimantan after performing the Idul Adha prayer at the Al Karomah grand mosque during his visit to the province, he affirmed that the slash-and-burn land clearing practices should be stopped not only in the yards of houses but also in plantation companies concession areas and roadsides.

At the mosque, President Widodo also donated a big cow to be sacrificed on Idul Adha, or the Day of Sacrifice, which is celebrated by Muslims all over the world.

The president emphasized that his visit to South Kalimantan Province was aimed at coping with the forest and land fires and the haze that had disrupted the peoples lives.

Cloud seeding operations in the provinces of South Sumatra, Jambi, and Riau in Sumatra Island have resulted in rainfall due to the presence of clouds, but in Kalimantan, the situation was different as there were no clouds, he pointed out.

President Widodo and his entourage continued their trip to Central Kalimantan to observe the authorized parties efforts to put out forest and land fires in Kapuas and Pulang Pisau areas.(*)

President visits forest fire-hit Central Kalimantan, postpones North Sumatra visit
Antara 24 Sep 15;

Banjarmasin, S Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has decided to visit Central Kalimantan province, which is among the worst hit by forest fires, and postponed his planned visit to North Sumatra.

Jokowi felt obligated to visit Central Kalimantan due to the haze emergency situation in the province, Ari Dwipayana of the presidential communication team noted in a statement, Thursday.

"Initially, after performing the Idul Adha prayers at Al-Karomah Grand Mosque in Banjar District, South Kalimantan, on Sept. 24, 2015, the president along with First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo and his entourage would have proceeded to North Sumatra," Dwipayana noted.

However, instead, they visited Kapuas and Pulang Pisau Districts near the border with South Kalimantan Province.

The head of state felt the need to personally observe the forest and plantation fires that have led to the haze emergency status.

He also wanted to ensure that every stakeholder in the province had participated in the efforts to put out the fires.

In the meantime, several hotspots detected in East Kotawaringin (Kotim) District, Central Kalimantan Province, increased significantly to 241 on Tuesday morning (Sept. 22), from only 20 hotspots recorded on the previous day.

"There were 241 hotspots in Kotim on September 22, at 5 a.m. local time," Yulida Warni, the head of the meteorology office at the Haji Asan Airport in Sampit, remarked.

The hotspots were spread across 15 sub-districts in Kotim, and only two sub-districts -- Telaga Antang and Tualan Hulu -- were free from these hotspots.

The sub-district of Antang Kalang had 14 hotspots, Bamaang 16, Bukit Santuai 2, Cempaga 9, Cempaga Hulu 2, Besi 22, Mentawa Baru Ketapang 18, South Mentaya Hilir 11, North Mentaya Hilir 47, Mentaya Hulu 3, Seranau 28, Parenggean 3, Hanaut Isle 24, Telawang 16, and Sampit Bay 26.

Besides Kotim, the neighboring districts of Seruyan and Katingan also had 164 and 128 hotspots respectively.

The hotspots caused thick haze that reduced visibility to below 10 meters in some areas.

The local authorities have undertaken efforts to put out the flames of these forest, peatland, and plantation fires.

The haze emergency response status in Central Kalimantan has been extended from September 20 to September 30, Head of the Central Kalimantan Disaster Mitigation Agency Brigong Tom Moenandaz stated.(*)

South Sumatra still fighting fires
Antara 24 Sep 15;

Palembang, South Sumatra (ANTARA News) -- South Sumatra governor Alex Noerdin said here on Thursday that efforts were still on to overcome forest and land fires that have been causing haze.

"Together with the personnel from the provincial administration and other offices, I am still continuing with the efforts to overcome the haze problem. The haze is still there and disrupting public activities," he said.

He said a variety of efforts have been undertaken to deal with the problem which still remains due to the extreme weather conditions prevalent currently.

He said with support from various sides and the general public, he believed that the menace of haze would be overcome.

In view of the situation, he called on the people to avoid conducting any activities that may worsen the situation and to always wear masks when leaving home.

The deputy chief of the task force for overcoming forest and land fires, Yulizar Dinoto, said efforts such as inducing rain artificially were undertaken to overcome the haze and fires.

He said the number of fires continued to fluctuate and focus had to remain on fighting these fire spots.

Muslims in Bulungan, the capital of North Kalimantan, had to brave haze as they conducted their Eid al-Adha prayers.

Thousands of people prayed at the Sultan Muhammad Kasimudin mosque in Tanjung Palas amidst a thick haze.

Haze in the region also forced several flights to be cancelled in the past few days. This haze came from forest and land fires in neighboring provinces.

In Sampit, the capital of Kotawaringin Timur in Central Kalimantan, however, Muslims were able to conduct Eid prayers in relatively better conditions without haze hampering them.

"Thank God that today there was almost no haze. Hopefully, there will be no more haze and public activities would not be disrupted anymore," Surya, a villager of Sampit, said.

"I just came from Camba and did not find any haze though a day before it was very thick and I had fallen in a vegetable field because of poor visibility," Rudi, another villager, said.

The number of fires in Kotawaringing Timur was recorded at 86, according to the office of the Meteorology, Geophysics, Climatology at Haji Asan airport in Sampit, which also warned that people must remain alert as the potential of land fires to break was still big.(*)


The men and women fighting the haze at Ground Zero
As the haze situation in Indonesia and around the region worsens, we meet the volunteers, many of them just teenagers, working with army personnel to fight the raging fires in Central Kalimantan.
Kane Cunico Channel NewsAsia 23 Sep 15;

PALANGKA RAYA, Indonesia: For weeks, a thick gray pall has enveloped large swathes of Indonesia and spread well beyond its borders and into that of its neighbours Malaysia and Singapore. The cause - a seemingly incurable rash of fires raging across the forests of Kalimantan and Sumatra.

In Palangka Raya, the provincial capital of Central Kalimantan, the Air Pollution Index (API) reached nearly 2,000 on Wednesday (Sep 23), as it almost did the day before.

While many residents seem resigned to put up with the plague of acrid smoke yearly, a good number have volunteered to join hundreds of troops in fanning out across the land to battle the blaze.

Many of them are just teenagers and some said they have put out as many as 45 fires.

Some sign on indefinitely. As long as the fires are raging, they brave the searing heat and dense smoke and do whatever it takes to get the job done. Others take 10-day contracts which could be extended along the way, according to Pak Toha, a sergeant major.

Pak Toha is responsible for locating the fires and investigating who is behind them. His department was recently put in place by district and provincial authorities.

Part of his job is to make sure he has the inside scoop from villagers and when he spots fires or gets wind of them, he reports the information to the fire department, or Palangka Raya’s disaster management agency.

Earlier on Wednesday, a villager in Jekan Raya, Yamtuni sounded the alarm. "The fire started last night, but we only realised it at about 12pm today. When I noticed there was a fire I called Pak RT Samson and he called the authorities," he told Channel NewsAsia. When the firefighting force arrived, he offered water from a property which he has yet to move into.


Aside from the goodwill of villagers, volunteers rely on trucks carrying as much as 5,000 litres of water. The amount can last for about an hour or two, depending on the size and spread of the fire.

Whilst on the road, volunteer firemen try to yell out to villagers above the din of sirens, asking if they have spotted any fires.

By evening, the firefighters begin packing up. Already low visibility on the roads gets worse as daylight fades. Another group of firefighters will return at 8am to inspect the field, as the fires deep underground could flare up again. If it happens, the volunteers firefighters and police start the slow, painstaking process to snuff them out again.