{News} 080524 Malaysia to train Indonesian farmers to avoid forest fires

Malaysia to train Indonesian farmers to avoid forest fires


The Associated Press , Kuala Lumpur Sat, 05/24/2008 4:11 PM World


Malaysia will advise Indonesian farmers on how to avoid starting forest fires when they clear land as part of efforts to curb the smoky cross-border haze released nearly every year, a news report said Saturday.


Malaysian Environment Minister Douglas Unggah Embas said his country will sign a pact with Indonesia next month to boost anti-haze cooperation, which will include training Indonesian farmers to practice controlled burning instead of slash-and-burn activities.


"We (will) either train Indonesians in their country or bring them here for training," Embas was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper.


Ministry officials who could comment on the issue were not immediately available. The report quoted Embas as saying that Malaysia expects to spend 2 million ringgit (US$620,000) to conduct the training.


Officials from both countries have warned people to brace for hazy pollution, especially between July and September, partly because of changing weather patterns.


Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand have complained since 1997 about haze drifting from Indonesia, where annual fires are started as part of seasonal land-clearing, especially on Sumatra island and in Kalimantan on Borneo island.


The smog causes health problems and losses amounting to billions of dollars (euros) from lost tourism revenue and flight delays, among other things.


Indonesia has argued it lacks the money and technical expertise to prevent or control the fires in the vast archipelago nation.


Officials have previously said Malaysia will also help Indonesia set up an early warning system for forest fires and boost land management.

Source:http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2008/05/24/malaysia-train-indonesian-farmers-avoid-forest-fires.html

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

{News} 080702 Muncul Gejala Awal Terjadi Dipole Mode

Muncul Gejala Awal Terjadi Dipole Mode Indonesia news, KOMPAS Rabu, 2 Juli 2008 06:37 WIB JAKARTA, RABU - Kekeringan yang terjadi di berbagai daerah di Indonesia mengindikasikan bakal terbentuk Dipole Mode Positif di Samudra Hindia. Kondisi tersebut berdampak pada kekeringan hingga bulan Oktober, bahkan mungkin lebih panjang lagi.Demikian antara lain dikemukakan Kepala Penelitian dan Pengembangan Badan Meteorologi dan Geofisika Mezak Ratag yang dihubungi di Jakarta, Selasa (1/7).Sementara itu, dosen pada Kelompok Keahlian Sains Atmosfer, Fakultas Ilmu dan Teknologi Kebumian ITB Triwahyu Hadi berpendapat, musim kering kali ini termasuk normal meski angin Muson Timur diakuinya agak lemah. "Seharusnya memang masih ada hujan," ujarnya.Mezak sudah mengamati gejala Dipole Mode (DM) itu pada akhir Juni hingga awal Juli lalu. Dia menengarai, arah angin Muson yang biasanya dari tenggara kali ini dari arah timur. "Angin tenggara itu biasanya masih membawa cukup uap air, kali ini
Read more

{News} 080804 Haze returns to region as Sumatra's illegal fires rage

Haze returns to region as Sumatra's illegal fires rage The Straits Times, Aug 4, 2008 Despite fire-fighting efforts, visibility just 2km in Riau; air over Malaysia worsens By Teo Cheng Wee, In Kuala Lumpur and Salim Osman, Indonesia Correspondent In Jakarta HAZE shrouded parts of the region yesterday after fires scorched forest and plantation land in Sumatra over the weekend, enveloping the Riau capital of Pekanbaru and parts of Peninsular Malaysia. The authorities have squarely blamed Indonesian farmers and plantation workers, who are clearing the land using slash-and-burn methods that have been banned since 1999. The number of hot spots in Sumatra surged from 351 to 531 on Saturday, before dipping to 360 yesterday, according to the Indonesian Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG). This was confirmed by Singapore's National Environment Agency. BMG analyst Selamat Triyadi told The Straits Times that Riau alone accounted for some 136 hot spots, while Pelalawan and Rokan Hulu h
Read more