it’s indonesia again (haze causing)

when the haze in KL was first reported, i said to myself “here it comes again.”

as days goes by, the haze seems to worsen and yesterday the department of environment (DOE) had banned open burning in the klang valley. latest news then stated that the ban covers the state of selangor, KL and putrajaya.

when i mumbled “here it comes again” i was also thinking the cause must be forest fires or open burning in indonesia, if not what else! yes of course it is. then i wonder to myself, why everytime it is the indonesian forest fires that caused the haze? why everytime indonesia allows forest fires? why the indonesian government didn’t do anything, knowing about the fires and it spreading to other countries? all they could do now was to extend an apology!

i find this rather strange. they (indonesian govt.) knew about the burning, it happens year in and year out, why nothing was being done, why it can happen year in and out.

sun2surf had a very interesting article on this matter which exactly reflect my sentiments.

==First, we know that much of it, year in and year out for seven years now, is caused primarily by burning, mainly in Sumatra and Indonesian Kalimantan.==

yep. see. year in, year out… for 7 years it had been happening.

==Four out of the Asean five are affected and one must put it down as a failure of Asean that it is unable to solve the recurrent problem of the haze. But what further irritates in addition to the smog, seems to be a conspiracy of sorts between the countries involved.==

that’s what i’m puzzled. this is a recurrent problem. why has nothing been done to rectify the problem.

==We don’t know what is causing these fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan and whether they are being deliberately set to clear land. Why are forests in Malaysia not being similarly affected? Are the countries in the rest of Asean condoning, by their silence, a method of clearing land which is clearly damaging to their people and their quality of life?==

interesting. yes, why the silence? our country is badly affected by the haze because of the indonesian’s method of clearing the land, does not speak up. why no condemnation? marah sikit sikit lah or make some noises to the indonesian government.

==After seven years, one must assume that everything has been done behind the
scenes to offer aid and propose alternative means of clearing the land.==

yes. that was what was in my mind too. this problem had been going on and on and yet nothing was done to resolve it.

and then of course we have this transparency thingy… when the authorities seems to fear revealing the exact level of air pollution, as the sun rightly says because of its…:

==a terribly short-sighted policy from the past whose reasoning is that we should not disclose this in the interests of not alarming the public and not discouraging tourist arrivals.==

how true indeed. this sun2surf editorial says it all… echo what i have in my mind. thank god for that as since i’m not articulate (or should it be not profilic?) to say out what i feel, sun2surf did it for me.

i enjoy articles from sun2surf more often than not, most of its editorial articles were very good and interesting, of which i can relate to.