What’s up with Indonesia’s haze crisis?

Update (1/11/15): Six days of consecutive rainfall has signalled the onset of the monsoon season; the fires have stopped and the haze in PKY has cleared significantly. While the air has cleared, this is only temporary relief — it’s only a matter of time until forests are set on fire again, be it for business or for sheer amusement. There is still much to be done for a long-term solution to be set in place, and this can only happen through a sustained, coordinated effort between business, government, and society.

Despite the challenges brought about by the haze, Indonesians have taken the responsibility to stay put and do their part to fight. PKY Firefighter Sujipto works 24 hours every other day to do his part, but is increasingly demoralised by the futility of the fight.

With PSI levels consistently exceeding 1000, upper respiratory problems have affected most of the population, especially those afflicted with asthma — hampering their livelihood and claiming the lives of those without resources to mitigate these health concerns.

NASA scientists say this could be the most serious haze crisis ever recorded. While Central Kalimantan, or Palangka Raya (PKY), has been declared to be in a state of emergency, for many, this is empty talk and political posture. The local governments are simply not educated nor equipped to handle the escalating disaster.

What is Indonesia doing to battle the fire, and what can the rest of the world do to help?

A) Protecting the people from the haze
Thousands are suffering from upper respiratory tract infections (ISPA). People are not using the right masks. Only basic surgical masks are being distributed by the authorities. Convenience stores and drug stores are only selling surgical masks for protection.

Only N95 masks provide protection by filtering out harmful particles — each mask is sold for US$1.75. With 40% of Indonesians living on just US$25 a month, N95 masks are too expensive.

It doesn’t help that the local Indonesians think that surgical masks offer full haze protection, which are completely useless against the toxic smog. Yet this misperception is perpetuated by Central Kalimantan government themselves.

Protesters who left the scene subsequently stationed themselves at one of Palangka Raya’s busy roundabouts at Taman Pemuda handing out regular clinical masks (costing locals around US$0.07) to motorists, though many if not all protesters told Channel NewsAsia that they did not know that these masks were ineffective conditions such as these.

“No one told us,” said Rinting Alfaranus, 40, a researcher who has been living in Palangka Raya since the early 1990s. “All the clinics and doctors we go to tell us it is effective. They are not?

“No one tells us what to use, and your (N95) mask is too expensive for us,” he said. “The people here are poor.”

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/protesters-in-kalimantan/2142782.html

Additionally, asthma management amidst the haze needs to be addressed — asthmatics are especially at risk once PSI levels reach above 100. Preventors such as Symbicort need to be distributed to these people, as well as Salbutamol inhalers for mitigation of asthma reactions such as breathlessness and wheezing.

Better ventilation at home, and in public spaces is also an area that needs to be looked into.

B) Stopping the fires
The only way to curb the fires is to flood the lands, completely. But during this drought period, with barely any rainfall for months in Sumatra, it remains a challenge to fight the fires. Indonesia has attempted to water bomb the lands — however their helicopters cannot carry enough water to effectively extinguish the fires. To make it worse — they’ve run out of water. The lack of accessible water is hindering all attempts at extinguishing these fires.

Besides the chronic water shortage, the affected areas lack manpower and equipment to combat the fires.

This is what they need on the ground:
- More manpower to fight the fires across the vast land
- Proper shoes and attire to trudge through the harsh terrain
- Access to water
- Equipment and technology for effective distribution of water across the affected lands
- Training for the volunteers and everyone involved in the fire fight

What’s next?

While $28 million has been disbursed to address the crisis in PKY, it is not enough.

Resources have run dry, and access to more resources is limited. Those involved in the fire fight have had to resort to use their personal savings to purchase the required equipment, and many have come forward to volunteer to help. But without the right resources, these efforts are rendered ineffective.

It seems that more resources have been allocated to Sumatra, instead of Central Kalimantan.

Something needs to be done about this.

What can you do to help?

I’m not sure just yet, but I’m on it.

Hit me up at heysabs@gmail.com if you want to get in touch and do something about the haze crisis. Let’s fight the haze together.

More updates to be shared here.

— UPDATE —

• Together with Big Red Button, we are flying Shinta and Lina in from PKY to share their experiences with us in Singapore on Sun, 20 Dec 2015. Event details here. We will be working with her to figure out her plans moving forward.
• Stepped in to help with Shinta and team’s PAQ — Palangkaraya Air Quality Facebook page, to help educate the people of PKY about the haze and its effects through a Facebook ad and more effective messaging. Reached 30,000 views and 2056 interactions.

—

Learn More

Between the Lines: Losing Ground —
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/video/between-the-lines-losing/2268882.html

Heart of the Haze, by Channel News Asia — http://www.channelnewsasia.com/tv/tvshows/getreal-s14/heart-of-the-haze/2206108.html

Protesters in Kalimantan decry Indonesian inaction against forest fires, haze — http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/protesters-in-kalimantan/2142782.html

If you’re wondering why I care about this:
I live Singapore, where PSI levels have ranged between 100 to 400 the past few months. I haven’t been able to: enjoy outdoor walks, eat outdoors, admire blue skies, etc. My childhood asthma has acted up — thankfully I am able to seek appropriate medical care to address this — and it’s taking a toll on my work productivity and overall mood. I can only imagine, from way over here, what the people of Central Kalimantan and Sumatra are facing. While the rest of us are faced with the externalities of their local haze crisis, we are in the position to help in whatever way we can.