RAIN EXPECTED TO ABUNDANT IN FOUR COMING DAYS, SAYS BNPB

Haze crisis tries the limits of the people's patience — Haze crisis tries the limits of the people’s patience

Jakarta, 17 Muharram 1437/31 October 2015 (MINA) – Three days of rain brought clearer skies in Indonesian provinces covered by smoke from forest fires, DPA cited an official and residents as saying Friday.

Flights resumed to and from the airport in Jambi, one of the provinces on Sumatra island badly affected by the haze, as visibility markedly improved, said Sutopo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPN).

Activities at the airport were ground to a halt for two monthsbecause of the smog from fires used to clear land for agriculture.

‘In the coming four days rain is expected to be abundant, so we will make the best of it by artificially creating more rain,’ he said.

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The haze crisis has left more than 500,000 people on Sumatra and Indonesian Borneo sick, according to the disaster management agency.

The annual burning churns out thick smoke across parts of Southeast Asia, but this summer’s haze is the worst it’s been for 20 years.

Most of the forest fires that are contributing to this massive environmental disaster are started illegally by farmers who slash and burn peat forest to make way for agricultural land. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)