INDONESIA - HAZE SEASON UNDERWAY AGAIN

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 010043 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/MTS, OES/IET, AND OES/ETC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: SENV KTIA TPHY TBIO ECON ID SUBJECT: INDONESIA - HAZE SEASON UNDERWAY AGAIN REF: A) 05 JAKARTA 10673, B) 05 JAKARTA 09022 ¶1. (SBU) Summary. Fires burning in Sumatra and Kalimantan have sent haze once again throughout the region. Haze problems reached alarming levels in late July, with the Indonesian press reporting over 2,000 hot spots on Sumatra island and another 1,000 hot spots in Kalimantan during the week of July 24. While local authorities in the provinces of Riau and West Kalimantan have told us that rain showers have cleared the air recently, large numbers of hot spots remain. On August 8, Ministry of Finance (MOF)-Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) data revealed 699 hotspots in Sumatra and 957 in Kalimantan. Although the Government of Indonesia (GOI) has stepped up prevention efforts in recent years, progress is slow and annual haze production is expected to remain high until the end of the dry season in October. In an effort to crack down on fire perpetrators this year, the Riau provincial administration is moving to seize land that has been cleared by burning. End summary. Haze Production a Recurring Problem -------------- ¶2. (U) As our colleagues in Malaysia are painfully aware, forest and peat fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan, and the resultant haze (particulate pollution) which spreads to neighboring countries, are an annual problem during the dry season which lasts approximately from April through October. According to media reports, the Ministry of Forestry was tracking over 2,000 hot spots in Sumatra and another 1,000 hot spots in Kalimantan during the week of July 24. On July 29, satellite images detected over 130 hot spots in Riau province alone. ¶3. (U) The fires are due to land clearing in forest areas for plantations and shifting cultivation practices by small scale farmers. The fires burned more than 3,000 hectares in Riau, including 1,500 hectares of the Mahato-Rokan Hulu protected forest and Tesso Nilo National Park. While rainfall extinguished some fires in early August, the number of hotspots remains high. On August 7, NOAA satellite data reported by MOF-JICA revealed 406 hotspots in Sumatra and 934 hotspots in Kalimantan, the majority of which were in West Kalimantan. The same data revealed 90 hotspots in Sabah, the Malaysian section of Borneo. ¶4. (U) The spillover of haze from Indonesia to surrounding areas has raised criticism from neighboring countries. Malaysia and Thailand both complained about the increase in haze from Indonesia in recent weeks. Malaysia's Meteorological Service reported that the air pollution was near unhealthy levels -- over 100 particles per microgram (ppm) -- in southern ports and areas near the capital city as a result of the haze, while health officials in southern Thailand advised vulnerable residents to stay inside. Government Prevention Efforts Have Limited Impact -------------- -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Each year, the GOI announces stronger measures and new programs to combat this problem but with minimal success. Although the GOI has urged local governments to take firm steps to prevent forest and peat fires and has created a legal framework for forest and land fire management, large numbers of fires continue to emerge. Slow progress is the result of resource constraints at the local level and the GOI's weak track record in prosecuting and convicting companies and small scale farmers for using burning to clear farmland and forest concessions. ¶6. (SBU) Most recently, President Yudhoyono instructed governors, regents, and heads of related regional institutions to take concrete action to stop smoke haze from spreading to neighboring countries at a June fire prevention conference. The GOI is also cooperating with the Malaysian government to crackdown on plantation firms that use burning to clear land. (Note: Many Malaysian plantation companies operate in Sumatra and Kalimantan. End Note.) In recent years the GOI has undertaken additional central measures that include the formation of fire combating groups (Manggala Agni) and operational centers (posko); activation of fire prevention and management centers (Pusdalkarhutla); and the adoption of an internationally recognized "Fire Danger Rating System". However, because the GOI provides mostly regulatory assistance and information support to JAKARTA 00010043 002 OF 002 local governments, local authorities are required to fund their own efforts to combat fires. This policy has resulted in the use of methods, such as water spray, injections, and digging ditches for containment, that have proven ineffective in stopping large fires in remote and large peat areas. ¶7. (U) Local organizations have taken some positive steps this year. All Sumatra and Kalimantan governors signed an MOU on forest and land fire prevention in June. The Regional Environmental Impact Management Agency (BAPEDALDA) conducted fire prevention and fire combat training with local farmers and local companies, and distributed water pumps to nine subdistricts, one NGO and six regencies this year. ¶8. (U) In order to investigate perpetrators and send a deterrent signal, the provincial government of Riau also is moving to seize lands that have been cleared by burning. After seizing the land, authorities will be able to track the financiers who are behind the burning. Riau Governor Ruslie Zainal said on July 31, "We will set up police lines in the affected areas to aid the investigations." He noted his officials will use air surveillance to take photos of the burned areas. "We are going to hunt down the perpetrators and punish them, be they financial backers or land owners." PASCOE