Spike in Fires Triggers Ailments in Palembang

Jakarta Globe, October 02, 2011

Haze from forest fires blanket Palangkaraya, the capital city of Central
 Kalimanatan last week. Severe drought has increased the incidence of forest
 fires, which are generally blamed on farmers clearing forest land for plantations.
Indonesian and foreign partner governments are waging a campaign to conserve
one of world's richest forest ecosystem in Borneo. (AFP Photo)

Palembang. Some 17,000 residents of Palembang are suffering from respiratory problems following months of haze that have blanketed the region after the dry season’s widespread bush and forest fires.

Gema Asiani, the head of the city’s health office, said the health problems mostly consisted of cough, flu and breathing difficulties, including asthma.

Gema suggested residents use face masks when leaving their homes, saying they were effective in preventing the development of respiratory ailments.

The head of the city’s environment office, Kemas Abubakar, said air pollution in Palembang had been steadily rising in correlation with the increased number of fires in the region.

The use of fire in traditional land-clearing methods, including peatlands, releases enormous amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and creates haze that blankets the area, which also travels into Malaysia and Singapore.

The practice is illegal but difficult to prevent in light of the vast area and limited available manpower.

The Straits Times reported on Friday that Singapore’s National Environment Agency warned the haze had returned and could linger throughout the weekend.

The NEA said the haze’s reappearance was largely because of a growing number of fires in Sumatra. The blazes increased from about 50 on Sunday to more than 300 on Wednesday, a two-week high.

The pollutant standards index, which measures air quality, spiked to 69 on Thursday evening. A pollutant rating of 100 is considered unhealthy.