East Kalimantan forest fires feared to spread
Copyright 2001 The Jakarta Post
August 28, 2001
JAKARTA (JP) - Coordinator of the Samarinda-based Integrated Forest Fire Management (IFFM) Harmut M. Abberger expressed fears on Monday over the possible spread of forest fires in East Kalimantan as indicated by the rise in the fire danger index and the number of hot spots.
Abberger said that the fire danger index in the province had reached an extremely high level of 1,829, jumping from a moderate level two days earlier. By comparison, a low fire danger index stands at 0-1,000, moderate at 1,000-1,500, high at 1,500-1,750 and extremely high at 1,750-2,000. He explained that the number of hot spots in East Kalimantan jumped to 135 on Aug. 20 from only about 60 on July 25.
The hot spots are spread throughout a number of areas, including the Bukit Soeharto area, where 410 hectares of forest have been destroyed by fires since June.
Besides Bukit Soeharto, the fires have also destroyed forests near Muara Wahau and the Kutai National Park, Kutai Barat and Berau. Several other hot spots reportedly could not be detected by satellite monitoring due to poor visibility.
"If the index continues to increase, a repeat of the devastating fires that took place in 1997 and 1998 is feared to take place again," he was quoted by Antara as saying, referring to major fires, which destroyed about 5.2 million hectares of forests due to the impact of the El Nino phenomenon.
Robian, head of the East Kalimantan forestry office, explained that the government was responsible for forest fires currently destroying conservation areas, while fires in forest concessions, plantations and timber estates were the responsibility of the respective companies.
"We have made a circular, reminding forest concessionaires about the importance of heightening alertness against the possible forest fire danger and prohibiting the clearing of land using the slash-and-burn system," he said.
Meanwhile, the provincial capital Samarinda was reported to have been covered with haze over the last few weeks clouding city skies with a maximum visibility of only five kilometers.
On Monday the level of haze in Samarinda was not as high as that during the major forest fire disaster in East Kalimantan in 1997 and 1998. There was still no need for the local people to wear face masks outdoors.
The high level of haze did not hamper flights in the province as the existing visibility was still within tolerable levels.
According to existing technical flight safety regulations, a visibility of five kilometers constitutes the minimum level required for conducting flights.
Besides fires, the prolonged drought has also sharply reduced the water level in the Karang Mumus and Mahakam rivers, which pass through the city of Samarinda.
If conditions persist, it is feared it will affect the local water supplies, Antara reported.