“The president ordered an acceleration of extinction efforts so that land and forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan could be extinguished soon”, said the agency’s spokesman, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.
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The Singapore delegation was briefed by the Indonesians on measures being undertaken by the Indonesian Government in Sumatra and Kalimantan to tackle land and forest fires which caused transboundary haze pollution in Singapore and the region.
But the current outbreak is one of the worst and longest-lasting in years, with an El Nino weather system making conditions drier than usual in Indonesia and keeping much-needed rain at bay.
President Joko Widodo, who was on an official visit to the Middle East, said he had instructed security forces to accelerate efforts to extinguish the fires, responsible for the haze spreading over the past few weeks.
In Singapore, the index has fluctuated above 100, levels considered “unhealthy”, for the past few days, with the poor air quality causing respiratory problems, and irritating eyes and throats.
Speaking to the BBC in Jakarta, Widodo, better known as Jokowi, said the annual smog which has enveloped Malaysia and Singapore in the last few weeks forcing closure of schools and airports, was “not a problem that you can solve quickly”.
Major plantation companies like Asia Pulp and Paper say they have a “zero burning” policy but have often been criticized by green groups for not doing enough to stop the haze.
He said in terms of enforcement, the authorities had arrested a number of individuals and business owners believed to be burning forests and fields for replanting purposes.
Rampangilei said while the fire fighters have successfully subdued the flames, the choking smog remains a problem but he is hopeful the approaching rainy season will put an end to the crisis.
Energy minister Sudirman Said told Reuters on Friday his ministry and state energy firm Pertamina were studying the president’s request to lower fuel prices.
The government rolled out two earlier sets of measures last month as part of a strategy to halt a slowdown and boost purchasing power in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy, after it grew 4.67 percent in the second quarter – the slowest pace since 2009.
There was a few respite from the haze as rain rolled through central Singapore today, 15 September 2015.
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Cars and motorcycles are seen on a bridge as haze shrouds Pekanbaru, in Indonesia’s Riau province, in this picture taken by Antara Foto. However, the thick smoke from the fires quickly spreading in the area makes aviation increasingly hard, with both provinces now declared no-fly zones.
