The Indonesian government, represented by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), has dismissed claims of haze from forest and land fires in Indonesia spreading to Malaysia. Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar declared that Malaysia’s complaint about Indonesian haze was unfounded. According to her statement, “We have been closely monitoring the situation, and there is no transboundary haze reaching Malaysia.” She also mentioned that her ministry received haze distribution images from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency and the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) from September 28 to September 30, until 4 PM WIB.
Based on the observations made by ASMC, Siti Nurbaya pointed out that the haze had been moderate to dense in certain areas of Sumatra and Kalimantan for several days. Although there was a slight increase in haze thickness on October 1 in Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra, no cross-border haze was observed. ASMC is a collaborative programme among the national meteorological services of Asean countries, which operates under Singapore’s Meteorological Service.
Additionally, satellite observations by the Indonesian Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency revealed images of haze distribution in several regions of Sumatra and Kalimantan over the three-day period. Siti Nurbaya emphasized that prevailing wind directions in Indonesia move from southeast to northwest and northeast, confirming that no cross-border haze has been detected. She stated, “So it’s clear, both sources confirm that there is no cross-border haze.”
Meanwhile, the Indonesian government is intensifying efforts to extinguish forest and peat fires in South Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, various islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, and parts of Java. These efforts include ground firefighting, water bombing, and weather modification technology. KLHK reported that 203 companies have been warned and 20 companies have been sealed due to their involvement in the fires, including subsidiaries of Malaysian companies. Siti Nurbaya proclaimed, “The Indonesian government continues to work hard to address this issue.” – Bernama-Antara
Credit: The Star : News Feed
