Opinion - News Analysis   

Indonesia's burning problem

V. Jayanth

Mechanisms need to be put in place to create a permanent system to handle crises on a continuing basis.

FOREST FIRES and seasonal haze are not new to the world. More so in Indonesia, a far-flung archipelago where controls and regulations become difficult to implement. For at least eight years now — since the major haze of 1997 — regional and international help has been forthcoming for Indonesia to deal with this seasonal problem. Typically, the country is most prone to it in the July-September period, though a long dry spell even in summer can aggravate the problem. The neighbouring countries of Malaysia and Singapore bear the brunt.

Indonesia is facing the same problem this year and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) may have to get into the act to mobilise regional resources and expertise to assist its largest member-state. The proximate Malaysian provinces of Sabah and Sarawak, in addition to Singapore, face the immediate fallout. This month, even the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur was covered with the thick haze which causes irritation.

An in-depth study of the problem in the aftermath of the 1997 haze found that the custom of "burning the fields" or even the minor forest areas to clear them for the next crop sparked the forest fires. And, when they raged through a major forest area aided by the dry season and mild winds, they caused havoc. Indonesia had neither the trained manpower nor the equipment to handle such an environmental hazard.

ASEAN, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the international community, led by the United States and the European Union, stepped in and pledged assistance to Indonesia. The ADB offered to conduct a thorough study into the haze; ASEAN not only built up a corpus but also provided personnel and equipment to put out the forest fires. The international community provided equipment. The focus was on "capacity building" to enable the country to handle what was accepted to be an annual problem.

Initially, it was felt that Indonesia was not doing enough and letting its neighbours suffer for no fault of theirs. The East Asian crisis or economic meltdown, which also swept the region in 1997, added to the problem. South East Asia, which was already reeling under an economic and currency crisis, faced another serious blow: tourism, which was one of the major sectors of the regional economy, was badly affected by the haze.

At a time when it became so cheap to visit and shop in the countries of South East Asia, thanks to the melting currency rates, tourists just did not want to risk the then little-known side-effects of the haze. The World Health Organisation stepped in to study the impact of the haze.

Though most aspects of the forest fires and the effects of the haze were studied and documented in 1998 and 1999, the problem refuses to go away. Indonesia may have become complacent; and the ASEAN countries could have been busy with their internal problems. Otherwise, there can be no explanation for the recurrence of the haze.

It is rather unfortunate that Indonesia in particular and the ASEAN region as a whole, have been beset with recurring and complicated problems. Many of the countries are yet to recover fully from the economic crisis. The December 26 tsunami crippled most of Indonesia, especially Sumatra, which has been rocked by frequent tremors in the past eight months. Reconstruction and rehabilitation works are still under implementation.

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or the bird flu virus, engulfed some of the countries in East and South East Asia, starting with Hong Kong and coming up to Singapore. This too called for a worldwide alert and a coordinated strategy to identify and eliminate the virus. There are still reports of a mild version of the virus in some countries. The bird flu also hit the tourism industry and the regional economy hard.

As most of these problems appear to relate to the environment and consequently to health, there may be a case for a fresh global effort to assist the countries concerned. It cannot be just to deal with a crisis on hand, but to build capacity, to create mechanisms in the affected country, so that a permanent system is created to handle such a crisis on a continuing basis.

Environmental authorities suggest that before the start of the "dry season" and the farmers' or contractors' inclination to "burn up" the field to prepare for the next crop, the institutional mechanism must be in place to monitor the situation and prevent fires. And when they break out, there needs to be a local organisation with trained manpower to stamp these fires out before they spread. It is prevention rather than cure that can contain such incidents and help both Indonesia and the rest of South East Asia.

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