Drought Induced El Nino Effects Linger into 1998
12/29/97
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Title: Drought Induced El Nino Effects Linger into 1998
Source: Reuters
Status: Copyright, contact source to reprint
Date: 12/29/97
JAKARTA, Dec 29 (Reuters) - Forestry Minister Djamaluddin Soeryohadikusumo
said on Monday drought induced by the El Nino weather pattern could linger in
Indonesia next year.
``In 1998, we must be cautious on whether the impact of El Nino is still
there,'' Djamaluddin told a news conference.
He said some experts predicted several areas would continue to feel the effects
of the weather phenomenon into February. The minister did not elaborate.
El Nino, an upswelling of warmer water in the Pacific Ocean that disrupts
global climate, has been blamed for Indonesia's worst drought in decades and
the spread of forest fires that sent choking smog across Southeast Asia this
year.
The minister said fire had destroyed 165,352 hectares (413,000 acres) of
forest, including 44,000 hectares (110,000 acres) of forest plantations, in
1997.
The financial loss from the forest fires was still unknown but the destruction
of forest plantations had led to a loss of some 132 billion rupiah ($26.4
million), he said.
Djamaluddin said his estimate for forests lost to the fires differed from that
of the European Union, which has said some 150,000 to 300,000 hectares (375,000
to 750,000 acres) were set ablaze.
The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) has said an estimated one million hectares
(2.5 million acres) of peat is still burning in Indonesia.
The fires were started during land-clearing by plantation companies and
small farmers and spread quickly because of the drought.
Smoke from the fires led to a thick, noxious smog which hung over large parts
of Southeast Asia for several weeks, triggering health alarms in Singapore and
Malaysia.
``The cause of the fire is human behaviour and irresponsible businessmen.
They wanted cheap and fast land-clearing,'' Djamaluddin said.
He said provinces of Jambi, South Sumatra and Lampung, all on the island of
Sumatra, were worst hit by fires.
Fires also destroyed forests in Kalimantan, on the Indonesian part of
Borneo island.
Djamaluddin said the government needed to help farmers find a system to clear
land without resorting to slash and burn.
``We also need to improve fire brigade technology and equipment to combat
forest fires,'' he said.