Seoul Gazette - Rains bring relief to Indonesian city weary of fire haze

Intermittent rains have been falling in Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan province on Indonesian Borneo, where devastating wildfires have raged since August.

On Wednesday night, exhausted volunteer firefighters jumped around in the puddles and kissed the ground in gratitude as another burst came down.

"We were overjoyed; every one of us volunteers was so happy that we prostrated ourselves in gratitude. Praise be to God that there was finally rain," firefighter Lukman El Hakim told AFP.

More than 11,000 people have been treated for respiratory infections in Palangkaraya during the months-long crisis that has also affected Indonesia's neighbours with haze pollution.

The city's air quality index hit 4,000 this month, its worst ever measurement and more than 13 times the environment ministry's threshold for pollution deemed "hazardous" to health.

The World Health Organisation has linked exposure to air pollution, including high levels of tiny, airborne PM2.5 particles, to increased risk of illness and premature death.

Palangkaraya resident Muhammad Jihan Alwi used the reprieve to jog outdoors for the first time in months.

"Of course I'm happy to be out jogging again, breathing in fresh air that's better than yesterday, just feeling grateful," the 23-year-old said, smiling.

- Not over yet -

However, the BMKG climatology agency said dry weather would continue to dominate for a while, with more wildfires possible.

The BNPB disaster agency has said it is operating 61 planes and helicopters for cloud seeding and water bombing in six Indonesian provinces.

Light to heavy rains have recently fallen in Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and South Sumatra, encouraged by its cloud seeding operations, said the agency.

"With the onset of rain, PM2.5 concentrations in Palangkaraya have also begun to show a decline," BMKG official Tri Handoko Seto told AFP on Thursday.

"Although still in the 'unhealthy' category, there is now a downward trend compared with a week ago, when levels were predominantly in the 'very unhealthy' and even 'hazardous' categories."

Tri said the short-term prediction was for rain clouds in affected provinces.

Efforts to seed them in a bid to stimulate more rain would continue "in the hope that the rain can truly soak the burned peat areas down to below the surface".

But he said vigilance was necessary "bearing in mind that there is still the possibility of another dry period before we fully enter the peak of the rainy season".

At least 11 people have died fighting Indonesia's wildfires, most recently a 45-year-old forest ranger who was killed by a falling tree while battling flames in North Toraja, South Sulawesi, on Wednesday.

Police said Thursday they were continuing to crack down on individuals and corporations responsible for the fires.

The national police's top detective, Asep Safrudin, said 245 individuals and 20 corporations have been named as suspects and could face jail time and heavy fines.

Deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas says the fires consumed more than 1.9 million hectares in the nine months to September.

The haze has sent pollution levels soaring as far afield as Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and East Timor, clouding Indonesia's ties with its neighbours.

Experts say the wildfires can be blamed in large part on slash-and-burn land-clearing practices, often by timber, palm oil or mining companies.

G.Cho--SG