Indonesia - Sumatra Hot Spot Count Highest in Years

The number of hot spots recorded in Sumatra so far this year is at its highest level in many years, Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore's Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, said at a regional meeting.

Balakrishnan's observation was shared by a number of other Asean ministers at the Asean ministerial meeting on the environment and related matters in Bangkok on Wednesday.

Figures show the hot spot count for this year has exceeded that for 2006, the last year in which Singapore experienced a prolonged haze.

Delegates attending the meeting urged Indonesia to ratify the Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution as soon as possible, a statement issued by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources in Singapore said. In response, Indonesia reported that it was in the final stages of its ratification process.

The discussions took place among environment ministers at the eighth meeting on the Asean haze agreement, one of the related meetings of the 12th Asean Ministerial Meeting on the Environment.

The meeting also urged Asean member states to ensure that companies adopt zero-burning techniques for land clearing. As a follow-up, those present at the meeting discussed the identification of errant companies and cross-referencing of the location of hot spots, the statement said.

The haze season usually occurs each year from June to September, which is the dry season in Indonesia and also a time when farmers there clear land using the slash-and-burn method.

The worst episode of haze to hit the region occurred in 1997.

Asean's efforts to tackle the annual haze problem saw nine of its members ink the 2002 Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. Only Indonesia has yet to ratify the accord.

Meanwhile, in Jambi, Sumatra, health officials warned of a sharp spike in the number of people with respiratory problems. According to Andi Pada from the Jambi provincial health office, the number of people suffering from respiratory tract ailments in the Sumatran province has risen to 3,020, with 1,241 of them in the capital, The Jakarta Globe reported.

He added that the standard air pollution index in the city had already reached unhealthy levels of more than 100 particles per million.

Local health officials have distributed some 3,000 masks to the population, especially for motorists, reports said.

Another official said attempts were being made to artificially induce rain in the area.

But this was proving difficult with few clouds and the dry nature of the air, he added.

The Straits Times

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