Indonesia: Haze emergency extended, air quality at ‘dangerous’ level again

Syofiardi Bachyul Jb and Rizal Harahap, The Jakarta Post 21 Oct 15;

The Riau administration has extended its haze emergency status due to deteriorating air quality in the province while the air quality in West Sumatra has again reached dangerous levels.

The Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) station in Kototabang, Agam regency recorded on Tuesday that the air quality touched the “dangerous” level in almost all areas in West Sumatra with the particulate matter (PM10) at 519 per cubic meter (µg/m³).

“It’s caused by hotspots, which are still found in many areas in the southern part of Sumatra, and the movement of the air. We think that it will still occur in the next two days,” the station’s researcher Alberth Nahas told The Jakarta Post.

According to the government’s existing guidelines, air quality is considered “healthy” if its PM10 level stands at below 50 µg/m³, “moderate” when the level stands between 50 and 150 µg/m³, “unhealthy” between 150 and 350 µg/m³, “very unhealthy” between 350 and 420 µg/m³ and “dangerous” when it surpasses 420 µg/m³.

Because of worsening air quality, several schools in Bukittinggi sent their students home early on Tuesday.

Separately, Riau Governor Arsyadjuliandi “Andi” Rachman issued a decree to extend the haze emergency status for the next two weeks due to the poor air quality.

“The decision was made after a plenary meeting with relevant parties. It has been made because the air quality is still at unhealthy and dangerous levels,” Andi told reporters on Tuesday.

The province first declared a two-week haze emergency status from Sept. 28 until Oct. 12 and it extended the status for another week until Oct. 19.

The governor called on all stakeholders in the province to consider the extension of the emergency status for their current programs, such as deciding on school holidays.

“The free medication should also be continued,” he said.

According to the latest data from the province’s health agency, which was collected from 12 cities and regencies, the number of residents suffering haze-related diseases reached 77,665 people by last month.

Among the patients, 65,232 residents suffered acute respiratory infections (ISPA), 3,002 residents had asthma, 3,622 residents suffered eye irritations and 4,744 skin irritations.

“In all regencies, the number of residents suffering from ISPA amounted to more than 1,000 people,” Riau Health Agency head Andra Sjafril said.

According to data from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), 30 hot spots were detected in six regencies in Riau, including 10 in Meranti, six in Indragiri Hilir, four in Pelalawan and three in Indragiri Hulu.

“Twenty one of the hot spots are fires with a reliability level of 70 percent, including those in Meranti, Indragiri Hilir, Indragiri Hulu and Pelalawan regencies,” Pekanbaru BMKG data division head Slamet Riyadi said.

Meanwhile, the thick haze was still blanketing cities and regencies, including Pekanbaru, Kampar, Siak, Rokan Hilir and Bengkalis.

“Visibility in the cities and regencies varies between 400 meters to 800 meters,” Riyadi added.

Separately, Indonesia Disaster Mitigation Experts Association (IABI) chairman Sudibyakto said that government institutions’ lack of coordination allowed the crisis to continuously occur.

“The weakness in coordination and overlapping authority, has caused people to continue to suffer. This time is the biggest disaster of the last two decades,” Sudibyakto said in Yogyakarta on Tuesday.

He suggested that Indonesia needed to establish a super-body tasked with overcoming the land and forest fires, including regulatory and law enforcement aspects.

— Slamet Susanto also contributed to the story from Yogyakarta


Hot spots increase in Papua, South Sumatra
thejakartapost.com 21 Oct 15;

Several flights at Moses Kilangin Airport in Timika, Mimika regency, Papua, were canceled on Wednesday morning because as a thick haze from nearby fires brought visibility down to around 1 kilometer.

According to Timika meteorology station spokesperson Dwi Christanto, the region's cool weather has kept the haze from dissipating, leaving it to blanket the airport instead.

"Weather conditions in Timika will improve if the number of hot spots in Merauke regency are reduced and firefighting is maximized," said Dwi on Wednesday as quoted by Antara news agency.

Since Oct. 15, the airport has been unable to serve wide-body aircraft such as those from Garuda Indonesia, Sriwijaya Air and Airfast Indonesia.

On Tuesday, 257 hot spots were detected by NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites in Papua and Maluku, up from 229 the previous day. Yos Sudarso Island in Merauke regency and the border area between Merauke and Mappi regencies were said to have the most hot spots.

Meanwhile, the number of hot spots in South Sumatra has also increased, rising to 530 on Wednesday, spread across 16 regencies and cities. This increase comes despite the area having been the focus of foreign aid as requested by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Two days ago, there were only 163 hot spots in South Sumatra.

"The number of hot spots detected in South Sumatra in October has been fluctuating. It will decrease for a few days, but the next day drastically increase, just like today," said spokesperson for the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) South Sumatra, Indra Purnama.

Ogan Komering Ilir regency is home to most of South Sumatra’s hot spots, with 356, followed by Musi Rawas with 50 hot spots, Musi Banyuasin with 35, Banyuasin with 34, Lahat with 13, North Musi Rawas with 11 and Ogan Komering Ulu with 10. (kes)(++++)


Haze reduces visibility to 20 meters in Central Kalimantan
Antara 21 Oct 15;

Muara Teweh, Central Kalimantan (ANTARA News)- Haze arising from forest, peatland, and plantation fires has reduced visibility to 20 meters in Muara Teweh, North Barito District, Central Kalimantan, on Wednesday.

"The haze has thickened and drastically reduced visibility. It causes respiratory problems and eye irritation," Arief Hidayat, a local inhabitant, stated.

According to the Muara Teweh meteorology office, the surface visibility on Wednesday morning was 20 meters, and the vertical visibility was 50 feet.

Based on the monitoring by Terra and Aqua satellites, no hotspots were detected in North Barito on Wednesday at 5 am local time.

"Although zero hotspots were recorded, the haze is very thick here," Sunardri, the head of the Muara Teweh meteorology office, reported.

Head of the North Barito environmental office Suriawan Prihandi remarked that the air quality in the district had reached a hazardous level.

He urged local inhabitants to stay indoors or wear face masks if they have to venture outdoors.

In the meantime, the Palangka Raya authorities have decided to temporarily close schools from the kindergarten to senior high school level as haze from forest fires has reached 1,354.32 PM10 level, which is deemed categorically dangerous.

The schools were closed from October 19 to 21, 2015, Septia Rianty, a senior high school teacher, stated in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan Province, on Monday.

The students have been given homework, so they could study at home, she added.

"Teachers are actually highly concerned as the learning process of the students has been frequently disrupted due to the haze from forest fires," she affirmed.

She hoped the government would take stern action to prevent the recurrence of such a disaster in the coming years.

Previously, the capital of Central Kalimantan had closed schools on September 10-16, on September 25-October 6, and yet again on October 16-17 due to the haze.


Over 78,000 people become haze victims in Riau
Antara 21 Oct 15;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - The Health Service of Riau recorded that haze has affected the health of 78,879 people in the province.

"The data was collected from community health care centers, health posts, and mobile post services, which continue to operate on a 24-hour basis," Head of Riau Provinces Health Service Andra Sjafril stated here on Wednesday.

He noted that the haze disaster, caused by forest and land fires, continued to intensify over the past three months. The government has provided face masks and medicines.

The Riau health official explained that the stock of face masks is therefore adequate.

"The stock of medicines is also adequate, so the people need not worry about the shortage of medicines and face masks," Sjafril affirmed.

The haze victims comprised 66,234 people suffering from upper respiratory tract infections, 1,076 pneumonia, 3,073 asthma, 3,693 eye irritation, and 4,857 skin diseases.

In the meantime, thick haze has hindered aerial water bombing operations involving two helicopters operated by Riaus Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD).

"We have prepared two helicopters since this morning, but the visibility range is around five hundred meters, and it is impossible to fly in such conditions," noted Edwar Sanger, the regional disaster mitigation agencys chief.

The MI 171 and Sikorsky are the two helicopters prepared by the agency after another was sent to assist in the operations to extinguish forest fires in South Sumatra.

Edwar pointed out that both helicopters can only fly if the visibility reached 1.5 thousand meters.

The agency had planned to conduct water bombing operations on Tuesday in Riaus districts: Meranti Isle, Indragiri Hilir, and Indragiri Hulu.

"Hopefully, the smog would recede, so that we can fly and immediately put out the fires before they spread," Edwar noted.

Meanwhile, the agency is still relying on the ground team to put out the fires that are located in the three regions.

Earlier, Edwar had stated on Tuesday that smog was also a major problem being faced by the agency while operating the helicopters.

"Yesterday, we only managed to conduct water bombing in Siak. Alhamdulillah (Thank God), 12 hotspots were successfully extinguished. We wanted to fly to Indragiri Hilir and Indragiri Hulu, but the visibility was very poor," Edwar added.

The Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysics Station (BMKG) in Pekanbaru on Wednesday detected 25 hotspots, with 22 believed to have arisen from forest fires at a confidence level of over 70 percent.

"Three hotspots were spread across Meranti, 12 in Indragiri Hilir, and seven in Indragiri Hulu," stated Head of BMKG in Pekanbaru Sugarin.(*)

Seven foreign firms allegedly involved in land and forest fires
Antara 21 Oct 15;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Seven foreign companies are strongly believed to have been involved in land and forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, Chief of the National Polices Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim). Commissioner General Anang Iskandar said.

The seven companies are identified by their initials as PT ASP of China, PT KAL of Australia, PT H of Singapore and PT IA, PT PAH, PT AP and PT MBI of Malaysia, he said at the National Police Headquarters here on Tuesday.

PT ASP is operating in Central Kalimantan, PT KAL in West Kalimantan, PT IA in South Sumatra, PT PAH in Jambi, PT AP in Jambi, PT H in South Sumatra and PT MBI in South Sumatra.

"The cases are being handled by the respective provincial police units," he said.

The police also have named PT PAH commissioner, identified by his initials as KBH, and PT AP commissioner, identified by his initials as KKH, as suspects in the case. Both commissioners are Malaysian nationals.

"They are charged with violating article 116 of the Environment Law," he said.

Till October 19, 2015, the police had handled 256 cases of land and forest fires. These included four cases handled by Bareskrim, 35 cases handled by the South Sumatra police, 71 cases by the Riau police, 21 cases by the Jambi police, 63 cases by the Central Kalimantan police, 29 cases by the West Kalimantan police, 13 cases by the South Kalimantan police and 12 cases handled by the East Kalimantan police.

The police have so far named 243 people as suspects in land and forest fires.

Of these, 88 suspects have been detained. (*)


Police name 7 foreign firms suspects
The Jakarta Post 21 Oct 15;

The National Police added on Tuesday five more foreign firms to their list of companies suspected of causing forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan that have produced haze over Singapore and parts of Malaysia and Thailand.

According to National Police detective division chief Comr. Gen. Anang Iskandar, the five companies have been identified as PT KAL (Australia), PT IA (Malaysia), PT PAH (Malaysia), PT H (Singapore) and PT MB (Malaysia).

The police also declared last week PT ASP (China) and PT AP (Malaysia) suspect.

“The cases are being handled by local police. The companies allegedly committed the slash-and-burn practices,” said Anang.

He also said that the local police had detained three Indonesian citizens working as executives in the companies.

“The investigations will continue and more suspects may be named in coming days,” said Anang.

The hazardous haze has forced the closure of thousands of schools, grounded hundreds of flights and has caused trans-boundary air pollution that has affected Indonesia’s neighbors including Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.