Almost three months have passed since the Indonesia forest fires began. The smog has spread to nearby countries including Singapore and the Philippines. Experts and analysts have come to believe that the haze would last until next year. The country has been the target of criticisms and headlines.
One analysis published by Bloomberg said that the country had overtaken China and the US in becoming the world's biggest climate polluter.
However, on Tuesday, hope sparked when Sumatra and Kalimantan experienced heavy rainfall. These two places were sites of the raging forest fires. Unfortunately, the government said that more heavy rainfall is needed on coming days to get these blazes under control.
'I hope we have turned the corner', Luhut B. Pandjaitan, Indonesia's coordinating minister for political, legal and security affairs, was hear saying in an interview. He added that if the rain continues for a few more days, then chances are they will get past the crisis.
Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the National Agency for Disaster Management in Indonesia, also revealed that visibility and air quality had improved since Monday in affected areas.
On the other hand, Indonesia's president, Joko Widodo, cut short a visit to the White House to personally deal with the ongoing crisis, focusing on more effective responses to combat the out-of-control situation. He arrived in South Sumatra on Thursday. The Guardian reports that Widodo will stay in the fire-hit region for the next few days. 'The president will work from the OKI regent office for a few days', said the president's spokesman, Ari Dwipayana.
As of present, 19 deaths have been reported as a result of the haze while estimated half a million people have suffered respiratory illnesses.
Satellites have detected more than 117,000 forest fires in Indonesia this year, most of which are found on the islands of Sumatra and the Indonesian part of Borneo, known locally as Kalimantan.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
