Malaysian Officials Expect Smog Fires to Worsen
10/3/97
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Headline: Malaysian Officials Expect Smog Fires to Worsen
Source: Agence France-Presse
Date: 10/3/97
Copyright 1997 by Agence France-Presse
KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 3 (AFP) - Smog from fires that have set alight
vast areas of peat in Indonesia are expected to worsen because of a
prolonged drought, a Malaysian government expert warned Friday.
"The worst is yet to come. The peat swamp is now burning on its
own because it is so dry," Tan Meng Leng, director-general of the
Department of Environment (DOE), told a news conference.
Tan urged the Indonesian authorities to mobilise more resources
to put out the fire. "More would be expected of them. Not only for
their neighbours but for their own sake," he said.
Tan said sulphur dioxide, not a dominant pollutant in the haze
that has enveloped most parts of Malaysia recently, could increase
if the peat continues to burn extensively.
"With the burning of the peat, the sulphur dioxide content in
the air may go up," he said. Peat is a flammable material made up of
decomposed vegetable matter.
Sulphur dioxide is a major cause of smog. At high
concentrations, it affects human health, especially those suffering
from asthma, medical experts said. It can also harm vegetation, and
acidify lakes and streams.
Tan said that if northwest winds continued, Malaysia would be
spared but if it changes, "we would suffer."
The Air Pollutant Index in Kuala Lumpur and most major towns
fell below 100 points and stood at "good" or "moderate" levels on
Friday, except for southern Johore state, which was at an
"unhealthy" level of 120.
In Kuching, capital of Sarawak state placed under a state of
emergency two weeks ago when the reading shot past 800, the index
stood at 27.
Indonesia has come under fire for failing to put out the raging
forest fires, which cast a blanket of smog across Southeast Asia and
threatened the health of millions in the region.
Malaysia has sent more than 1,000 firefighters to help battle
the blaze in Indonesia, concentrated on Sumatra island and
Kalimantan.
Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim urged countries
in Southeast Asia to concentrate on finding a solution to the haze
problem, Bernama news agency reported Friday.
"What is important is that we concentrate now, get full
cooperation, not cause problems, and we appreciate that Indonesia
has adopted a positive approach and supported the effects that are
being taken jointly," he said.
On Thursday, Malaysia's longest-serving cabinet minister Lim
Keng Yaik, the primary industries minister, lambasted Indonesian
authorities for not mobilising all available resources to put out
the raging forest and peat fires in the republic.
Anwar said Malaysia preferred a consultancy approach in
resolving the haze problem in the region, adding that the
environmental problem must be handled properly so as not to
jeopardise the existing good relations with Indonesia.
"We realise that the solution lies not in pointing the finger,
but in the ASEAN spirit of consensus," he added.
Malaysian companies and individuals have raised 803,300 ringgit
(267,767 dollars), for the purchase of fight-fighting equipment and
to finance a study on the effect of haze on public health.