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Haze envelops Argentine capital

Buenos Aires: Argentina’s capital disappeared under a thick acrid cloud on Thursday as increasingly dense smoke from grass fires raging 30 minutes north of the city started causing breathing difficulties and eye irritation among its residents.

The government blamed farmers for the smoky haze, which is expect to envelop Buenos Aires for the rest of the week.

“This is the largest fire of this kind we’ve ever seen,” Interior Minister Florencio Randazzo said. “It was started by farmers clearing land for cattle grazing driven by greed for profit and with total disregard for human life.” Special phone numbers had been provided for the public to report those who started fires, he added.

The government is at loggerheads with the country’s agricultural industry after a three-week strike by farmers over taxation ended earlier this month.

The poor visibility caused by the dense smoke has forced the closure of the main roads in and out of Buenos Aires, after a rise in the number of deaths on the smoke-choked routes. Authorities have also had to close the city’s ports and airports.

In neighbouring provinces, such as Santa Fe and Entre Rios, visibility is down to zero, as black clouds from some 300 simultaneous fires on islands in the Parana river delta covered farmlands, population centres and the national routes connecting Argentina with Paraguay and Brazil.

“Covering highways with smoke just to clear a field of weeds is unforgivable,” Chief of the Argentine cabinet Alberto Fernandez said in a radio interview.

Mr. Randazzo and Environment Minister Romina Picolotti met provincial governors on Thursday to discuss what further measures should be taken.

Raging for two weeks, the fires have consumed 70,000 hectares (173,000 acres) of farmland and have been caused by indiscriminate burning by farmers clearing land for cattle grazing in an area with a bovine population of one million.

On April 3 farming groups suspended a nationwide strike after 21 days. The strike, over the rises in export tax on soyabeans and sunflower seeds, led to food shortages, provoking street demonstrations. — ©Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2008

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