Resolving Haze Problem To Become Reality Only By Building Dams, Canals - WWF Indonesia

JAKARTA, Oct 2 (Bernama) -- World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Indonesia said the country's goal to tackle the haze problem caused by forest and plantation fires in three years will only become a reality if complemented with the construction of dams and canals. Its Conservation director Dr Arnold Sitompul in a statement here, said the construction of dams and canals in peatlands and plantations was one of the measures to overcome fires by moistening the soil and would also be effective in reducing hot spots which are the source of the fires. He was commenting on the statement by Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, who was quoted by local media as saying that his government needed three years to curb the plantation and forest fires, thus solving the haze problem which has enveloped neighbouring countries. He said that Indonesia had always worked hard to address the issue of forest fires and it is unlikely to be resolved in a short time. However, what was more important was strict law enforcement and the government should have a mechanism to ensure that planters implement zero open-burning practices, he added. Meanwhile, the haze situation in Palangkaraya, capital of Central Kalimantan, on Thursday continued to deteriorate with the Air Pollutant Index (API) in the region exceeding 1,200 at 3pm. According to Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency website, the API reading was at a hazardous level. The haze situation in Palangkaraya has paralysed all daily activities and all schools have been closed since Monday after the area was declared a 'haze emergency zone'. Meanwhile, Jambi province recorded an API reading of up to 1,000 at 7 pm local time and Palembang recorded an API reading of 984 this morning before dropping to 400 at 7pm. --BERNAMA