Emergency Declared In Kalimantan Over Severe Smog

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The governor of Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, said there had been a total of 38,104 detected hotspots in the region since Jan 1. (AP pic)JAKARTA: Authorities in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia, have declared a state of emergency for the next 10 days, starting today, following severe air pollution and reduced visibility caused by ongoing forest and land fires.
Provincial governor H. Sugianto Sabran said the air pollution index reached hazardous levels on Oct 3, with visibility dropping to less than 1,500 metres on Oct 2 due to thick smoke, Bernama reported.
“Data collected from Jan 1 to Oct 2 revealed a concerning total of 38,104 detected hotspots in the region. This has led to 3,230 recorded instances of forest and land fires, with firefighting efforts successfully extinguishing 9,137 hectares of affected land,” he said in a statement.
To address this emergency, authorities have allocated a budget of 110 billion rupiah (approximately RM33 million), to intensify firefighting operations and provide mobile health services to the affected population.
Hotspots from forest fires and open burning in Indonesia as reported by the Asean haze portal. (ASMC pic)The statement came on the same day that Indonesia’s environment minister, Siti Nurbaya, said forest fires in parts of the country have declined and no haze had been detected moving to Malaysia.
Malaysia’s environment minister, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, had said he had asked his Indonesian counterpart to address the haze, as air quality worsens, adding that haze should not be a new normal.
However, Siti Nurbaya told Reuters: “I do not know on what basis Malaysia uses to give such a statement. We are working not based upon Malaysia’s request.”
Siti Nurbaya also said the number of forest fires in some parts of Sumatra and Borneo had declined and the government continues to put out the blazes.
Her remarks came as Southeast Asian agriculture and forestry ministers agreed to take collective action to minimise and eventually eliminate crop burning in the region. - FMT

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