New Indonesian forest
fires raise smog
concerns
Study says '97 fires
cost nation $1 billion
February 25, 1998
Web posted at: 11:35 a.m. EST (1635
GMT)
KUCHING, Malaysia
(CNN) -- Southeast Asian
nations, worried about new
forest fires in cash-strapped
Indonesia, sought more
international aid
Wednesday to help prevent
a recurrence of last year's
smog, which covered much
of the region.
The pollution caused more
than $1.3 billion in damage
to Southeast Asia in 1997,
according to a study
released in Jakarta by two environmental groups.
The study was conducted by the Singapore-based
Economy and Environment Program for Southeast
Asia (EEPSEA) and the Indonesia program of the
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
Wildfires this year already have destroyed some
14,000 hectares (34,600 acres) of drought-affected
forest on the Indonesian part of Borneo island.
Another 4,000 hectares (9,900 acres) are burning in
Kalimantan.
Environment ministers from the nine-nation
Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN)
said in Kuching on Wednesday that the rash of fires
are a concern because of a drought that has left many
parts of the region extremely dry.
"We need to be extra vigilant against the onset of
more fires," Singapore's Environment Minister Yeow
Cheow Tong told the ASEAN ministers at a one-day
meeting on smog.
Seasonal rains late in 1997 finally doused most of the
fires. Most of the damage -- about $1 billion worth --
was incurred by Indonesia, mostly in added health
costs, the environmental report said.
Malaysia had $300 million in losses, mainly from lost
industrial production and a drop in tourism.
Singapore lost more than $60 million, mostly from
tourism, the study found.
Health problems may take years to
show up
The full costs of the haze may not be known for
years, the study's authors cautioned, because of
potential long-term health problems caused by the
smoke and fire damage done to the forest.
About 1,000 fires are burning in Indonesia's East
Kalimantan province, raising fears that Southeast Asia
could face another pollution disaster.
From July through November last year, much of
Southeast Asia was smothered by thick smoke from
deliberately set forest fires in Indonesia.
Most of the fires are started by small Indonesian
farmers clearing bush for crops and by companies
who burn the jungle after logging to make way for
new palm oil plantations.
Pollution levels reached all-time highs, closing
schools and airports, causing tens of thousands of
people to seek treatment for respiratory illnesses and
scaring tourists away for months.
This year's fires already have caused intermittent
smog on Borneo island.
Indonesia's Environment Minister Sarwano
Kusumaatmadja said the United States had offered $4
million in aid, and there were offers of help from
France, Canada and Germany. However, more money
is needed, he said.
The Asian Development Bank on Tuesday approved
a $1 million grant to ASEAN to put in place
fire-prevention mechanisms. Tahir Qadir of the
ADB's environmental division said another
million-dollar grant to Indonesia was in the works.
Indonesian financial crisis a concern
Sarwono said his country can't fight the fires alone,
because it has only three planes that can drop water
to douse flames.
He announced that starting on Thursday, Indonesian
authorities would take advantage of overcast
conditions and begin cloud-seeding in east
Kalimantan.
Indonesia's economic crisis has raised worries it will
lack the resources to fight the fires, a senior ASEAN
official said.
"What is more, there is increased pressure on people
and firms to clear the land with fire and use it to raise
much needed income," said the official, who asked
not to be identified.
Authors of the environmental study recommended
that Indonesia investigate "no-burn" methods for
clearing plantation lands. The countries also need to
develop better tools for predicting and monitoring
droughts and fires, they said.
"The loss by fire of Indonesia's forest resources,
such as timber and rattan, and the damage to
biodiversity and the health of forest ecosystems, have
been simply tremendous," said WWF Forest
Conservation Adviser Togu Manurung.
Disaster plan should be activated
Meanwhile, the ASEAN ministers urged Indonesia to
spell out what it needs to combat the new fires, and
asked Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur to activate a bilateral
disaster plan signed last year that could help
Indonesia fight the fires.
Malaysia and Indonesia last year signed a
memorandum of understanding on cooperating in
combating natural disasters, but it has not yet been
activated. The ASEAN ministers urged the two
nations to implement the pact quickly so other
countries could channel aid through it.
Sarwono said it was impossible now to determine
how much aid Indonesia might need, because that
would depend on weather conditions. But he noted
that each airborne operation cost $3,000 per hectare
(2.5 acres).
Ministers agreed that a repeat of last year's crisis was
not yet at hand, and noted that regional experts last
month forecast a return of normal weather starting in
May.
"Unfortunately in Asia, from June, conditions tend to
be dry," Yeow said.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this
report.
Related stories:
Indonesia tries to douse political fires as smog
lingers - October 7, 1997
Indonesia steps up fight against haze-producing
brush fires - September 24, 1997
Land-clearing fires foul Malaysia's air -
September 19, 1997
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
Economy and Environment Program for South
East Asia (EEPSEA)
Malaysia Homepage
Indonesia Internet Information Center
The Haze Emergency Online
Monitoring of Widespread Smoke Haze and
Forest Fires in the Region |
