TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Forest fires in Indonesia this year was viewed as the worst in the history. Scientists warned that this year’s dry season would last longer than it should, and it would hamper efforts to mitigate forest fires.
Scientists from the National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA) said that the condition was similar to that in 1997. The risk of forest fire was predicted to be higher than that in 1997.
“Conditions in Singapore and southeastern Sumatera are tracking close to 1997,” Robert Field, a Columbia University scientist based at NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, said as quoted by Channel News Asia on Friday, October 2, 2015.
“If the forecasts for a longer dry season hold, this suggests 2015 will rank among the most sever events on record,” he added.
Herry Prunomo, an Indonesian scientist based at the Centre for International Forestry Research, agreed that the current situation was similar to 1997. According to Herry, it was reflected the magnitude of the impact of the forest fires that shook the international community.
“I believe the impact of the fires this year will be as bad as 1997, in terms of cost,” Herry told AFP.
Indonesia has deployed more than 20,000 troops, police and other personnel to Sumatera and Kalimantan to fight forest fires. A number of efforts had been initiated, such as waterbombing and chemically-induced rainfall.
Indonesia has also faced pressures from its neighbors to address the problem in it emerged nearly 20 years ago. This year, more than 10,000 people in Singapore, Malaysia and Singapore had sought medical treatment due to respiratory problems.
GHOIDA RAHMAH | CHANNEL NEWS ASIA
