ASEAN intensifies monitoring of the haze in the Region

The ASEAN Secretariat announced today that its Regional Haze Action Plan Coordinating Support Unit (RHAP-CSU) has intensified its monitoring of the haze situation in the region in view of its growing recurrence.

The ASEAN RHAP-CSU monitors the haze situation on a day-to-day and region-wide basis and shares its findings through its website called the ASEAN Haze Action Online (www.haze-online.or.id). For the press, which have been reporting the haze recurrence since the last week of July 1999, the website would be a useful source of timely and accurate information on the fire-and-haze situation in the region and other related data.

The RHAP-CSU is linked up with monitoring stations in member countries including the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre in Singapore, the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry and Estate Crops in East and West Kalimantan, the National Board for Environmental Impact Control and the Indonesian National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN) and other agencies. Information such as satellite imagery of hotspots, weather forecasts, air quality, visibility, humidity, wind blows are monitored on a daily basis. A weekly summary of information gathered is available from the website.

The RHAP-CSU assists the ASEAN Haze Technical Task Force that has been entrusted by ASEAN Environment and Haze Ministers in coordinating the implementation of the regional haze action plan. ASEAN, with the help of the Asian Development Bank and other international organizations instituted the regional plan whose principal components are to monitor, prevent, and mitigate forest fires and haze.

The RHAP-CSU has made the following regional summary report as of 5 August 1999 based on reports from Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, especially the provinces of Sumatra and Kalimantan:

1. A number of hotspots were observed in northern part of Sumatra, including Riau and North Sumatra provinces, and south-western part of Kalimantan, including West and Central Kalimantan provinces. A summary of the number of hotspots as of 2nd August 1999 is as follows:

   	13.19 ASMC	16.00	17.15 LAPAN
   Riau	88	45	45
   North Sumatra	-	16	13
   South Sumatra	-	49	9
   West Kalimantan	86	63	14
   Central Kalimantan	4	5	2

    

2. The worsened haze situation in Riau resulting in a temporary closure of the local airport early Wednesday (4 August 1999).

3. Air and satellite surveillance show that in these provinces, most of the fires were less that one hectare in scale and located close to villages and other human settlements. However, some fires were caused by plantation companies. The local police are now investigating two companies in Riau.

4. Local meteorological stations predict that in these provinces, below to normal rainfall will continue for another week but normal rainfall will occur in the next ten days. Since the surface winds blow from southeast to northwest and in the equator it turns to northeast, possible haze from West and Central Kalimantan as well as Serawak and Sabah will come to Brunei Darussalam.

To prevent the haze from disrupting the SEA Games in Brunei Darussalam next week, intensive efforts have been undertaken in the past three months by concerned agencies in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam:

1. The Indonesian Director General of Nature Protection and Conservation of the Ministry of Forestry and Estate Crops instructed in June all provincial offices to declare the Fire Risk Stage 1 alert. This gives highest priority to be given to fire control activities. Command posts have been operating 24 hours, seven days a week. Provincial offices and forest services have organized coordination meetings will related agencies at the district level to evaluate and activate their preparedness in managing fire control.

2. On 1 July 1999, the Governor of Riau instructed every Bupati (regent) and head of government agency at provincial and district level to prepare for the coming dry season. The instruction was delivered during the opening ceremony of the Joint Malindo Training on Fire Fighting in Pekanbaru, Riau.

3. On 29 July 1999, the Governor of West Kalimantan instructed all government agencies at all levels, Bupati (Regent), companies (agriculture, plantation, concession, mining and transmigration companies) and the public to (i) stop clearing their lands unless they use no burning methods, (ii) activate their fire groups by providing sufficient resources, equipment and funds, (iii) detect fires early and conduct initial prevention of fires in their areas and surroundings, and (iv) intensify extension for increasing awareness and participation in fire control.

4. During the last week of July 1999, the provincial government of West Kalimantan conducted an aerial surveillance and detected the occurrence of several small fires (mostly less than a half hectare). The surveillance also showed that that some preparations for new burning activities were being made. The Jagawana (forest rangers) and Hansip (civil defense personnel at village level) were immediately mobilized to prevent the new fires.

5. On 4 August 1999, following the temporary closure of local airport early that day, some actions have been taken in Riau: (a) the Head of Riau Provincial MoFEC Office convened a coordination meeting with all agencies (the members of Pusdalkarhutla), (b) forest rangers and village civil defense personnel (Hansip) were mobilised to the fire sites (priority areas are conservation forests, established plantations, constructions, and housings), (c) the local Police was investigating two plantation companies, which were found practising burning.

6. So far, forest rangers and local community has extinguished fires in about 20 hectares of burnt lands surrounding the Minas Grand Forest Park and approximately 10 hectares of burnt lands near Pekanbaru. According to the reports from forest patrolmen, most fires (at small scale) occur in farmers’ lands, especially in Bengkalis and Kampar districts (these districts are the targeted places for mobilization plan exercises under the Immediate Action Plan or IAP under the ASEAN Regional Haze Action Plan).

7. The Minister of Environment plans to have another aerial surveillance in West Kalimantan on 5 August 1999.