JAKARTA: Malaysia has offered to assist Indonesia in combating forest and land fires that have fueled the latest wave of transboundary haze, including by conducting cloud-seeding operations in Indonesian airspace, as worsening conditions put pressure on Jakarta to step up its response.
The offer was unveiled on Monday (Aug 24) after Malaysian Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Datuk Seri Arthur Joseph Kurup had a phone conversation with his Indonesian counterpart Jumhur Hidayat, during which they discussed efforts to address forest fires as well as the transboundary haze blanketing the region.
Arthur said in a statement that Malaysia stood ready to provide assistance to Indonesia in extinguishing fires, adding that “should the Indonesian government make any specific request, the matter will be brought before the [Malaysian] cabinet for further consideration and a decision”.
He also thanked Jakarta for granting Malaysia permission to use Indonesian airspace for cloud-seeding operations in shared border locations, noting that Malaysia’s disaster management agency and meteorological department are now preparing an operational schedule, which will be coordinated with the Indonesian Military (TNI).
The move comes as forest and peatland fires blaze across Indonesia, fueled by prolonged dry season and an intensifying El Niño, with thousands of hot spots detected in Kalimantan and on Sumatra, triggering a transboundary haze now threatening neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia.
Malaysia’s Sarawak, which borders three of Indonesia’s Kalimantan provinces, has been worst hit by the haze. Six districts recorded unhealthy air pollution index (API) readings on Monday, according to data released by Malaysia’s environment department. Nearly 600 schools in the state were closed, while authorities urged residents to limit outdoor activities.
Experts have warned the worst could be yet to come as the intensifying El Niño phenomenon and the south-west monsoon increase the risk of severe forest fires heading into October, while the rains that could extinguish the fires look unlikely before November.
Environment Minister Jumhur said on Tuesday that he welcomed Malaysia’s request, describing the planned cloud-seeding operations as a mutually beneficial effort to reduce transboundary haze.
"In principle, the Environment Ministry has no objection. We have also coordinated with the TNI commander. The technical permits will be handled through the military commander," he said.
Details on the cloud seeding operations, however, remained unclear on Tuesday, with TNI spokesperson Muhammad Nas saying the authority over such operations falls under the Transportation Ministry because the aircraft involved were not military planes, while other government agencies referred the questions to other officials.
Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) deputy for weather modification Tri Handoko Seto said the agency, which oversees such operations in Indonesia, "had not issued any permit or other form of approval" for Malaysia to conduct operations in Indonesian territory.
The haze has quickly become a regional concern, with Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim and Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah agreeing during their meeting over the weekend to raise the issue of transboundary haze pollution at the Asean level. Kuala Lumpur reportedly will soon submit an official letter to the Asean Secretariat through Malaysia’s environment ministry.
Dafri Agussalim, executive director of the Asean Studies Cenre at Gadjah Mada University, said countries affected by the haze were justified in raising the issue through Asean, urging Indonesia to be more open to regional cooperation in addressing recurring forest fires.
“I would say that this is already a very restrained approach compared with, for example, reacting directly, condemning Indonesia, or bringing the issue to other formal international forums,” Dafri said, pointing to Indonesia’s repeated failure to uphold its commitments under the regional agreement on transboundary haze pollution.
After visiting areas devastated by forest and peatland fires in Central Kalimantan on Saturday, President Prabowo Subianto traveled to fire-affected Riau and South Sumatra on Monday, during which he ordered law enforcement agencies to investigate companies suspected of being involved in forest and land fires.
He also instructed relevant institutions to improve early detection of fire hot spots and establish more permanent prevention systems.
National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has deployed 52 aircraft, including 37 helicopters, to combat forest and land fires across six priority provinces: West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra.
Efforts to fully extinguish the fires, however, have been hampered by limited access and water supplies, difficult terrain, unsuitable cloud conditions for weather modification, poor visibility during water-bombing operations and the difficulty of extinguishing peat fires, BNPB said. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
