Situation
Numerous peat conversion fires, slash-and-burn
agriculture fires, and wildfires affecting forests and other vegetation
on the Indonesian island of Sumatra have been causing serious haze problems
since the beginning of August 2005.
International assistance from Singapore and Malaysia combined with favorable weather conditions has significantly reduced the number of hotspots. Regular updates provided by the secretariat of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and satellites of the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) continue to report and monitor active fires on Sumatra and Kalimantan on a daily basis.
On 15 September, the media reported that haze stemming from Indonesia led to an 'unhealthy' air pollution in Kuala Selangor, west of the capital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. In other places, the air quality remained moderate. On 16 September, ASEAN reported that haze was observed over Central and South Kalimantan Provinces. The air quality for the previous 3 days in Central Kalimantan, particularly in the Palangkaraya District has been unhealthy, with visibility of less than 100 m. In most areas of Central Kalimantan the visibility readings were 3km.
The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) of Indonesia has predicted that the rainy season will start in early September for Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, Bengkulu and Bali Provinces. Meanwhile for Sumatra and Kalimantan areas, rainfall is expected in October, which will help to minimize the impact of the peat fires to a large extent.
National Response
On 6 September, the Natural Resources Conservation Office (BKSDA) in Central Kalimantan deployed its Manggala Agni Brigade to fight fires located in Pulang Pisau District, in Sebangau National Park. The Government of Central Kalimantan has provided fire-fighting equipment in each district in the province. P.T. Arara Abadi and the Environmental Impact Management Agency Bengkalis District jointly conducted fire-fighting training. About 50 persons from the local community of Mandau, Pinggir, Rapat, and North Rupat sub-districts participated in the training. These people would be recruited as the Fire Fighter Brigade.
According to the Ministry of Forestry, the Manggala Agni Brigades from 5 different Operational Areas were deployed to put out fires in Central Kalimantan on 13 September.
The Provincial Health Office of South Kalimantan has provided 65,000 masks, of which 17,000 have been distributed to the local communities, particularly to children, the elderly, pregnant women and infants.
International Response
The Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit has deployed a staff member to provide additional support to the Office of the UN Resident Coordinator and the OCHA Office in Jakarta. Based on meetings with the Government of Indonesia (Ministry of Environment, BAKORNAS PBP, the Research and Development of Technology Agency and the Ministry of Forestry), there is no need for the deployment of an UNDAC team and/or specialized assistance. In addition, meetings were held with UNEP, OCHA, UNDP, WHO, UNFPA, and UNESCO. Information is exchanged with the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC) on a regular basis. The Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit is the focal point for fires in OCHA-Geneva.
The Panel of ASEAN Experts on Fire and Haze Assessment and Coordination met on 8 September at the ASEAN Secretariat, Jakarta, Indonesia, to refine the draft of its Terms of Reference and the operational arrangements and discussed further activities of the Panel of Experts.
The initial findings of the Australian Technical Assessment Team have been shared with the Government of Indonesia and a final report will be presented as soon as it has been finalized.
This report has been prepared on the basis of information provided by the OCHA Office in Indonesia, Bakornas PBP, the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry, the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the Indonesian Red Cross Society (PMI), ASEAN Haze-online, the Global Fire Monitoring Center, and media reports. OCHA Indonesia and the Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit continue to monitor the situation.
This situation report, together with further information on other ongoing emergencies is available on the OCHA Internet Website at http://www.reliefweb.int.
MAP: Indonesia: Fires - Situation map
Telephone: +41-22-917 12 34
Fax: +41-22-917 00 23
E-mail: ochagva@un.org
In case of emergency only: Tel. +41-22-917 20 10
Desk Officers:
Mr. Rene Nijenhuis, Direct Tel. +41-22-917
1815
Ms. Rebecca Richardson, Direct Tel. +41-22-917 3183
Press contact:
(GVA) Ms. Elizabeth Byrs, direct Tel.
+41-22-917 26 53
(N.Y.) Ms. Stephanie Bunker, direct Tel. +1-917 892 16 79
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.