Last week we brought you news of the devastating forest fires which have ravaged Indonesia and Kalimantan in particular, and caused havoc with both the local people and wildlife in the country. However, this week we are bringing you some good news! The forest fires are finally being extinguished and life in Indonesia is returning back to normal!
Over the last week persistent rains have helped to clear the air across vast swathes of the country which was previously coated in a thick haze due to the smoke from the fires. The fires, which were amplified by the El Nino phenomenon, are being brought under control by the start of the wet season in South-East Asia.
In Indonesia, the disaster agency spokesmen Sutopo Purwo Nughro said that recent rainfall on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo has dramatically reduced the smoke and that even more precipitation was predicted. He also said that affected communities had “welcomed this with joy and said grace after two months of being held captive to haze.”
Residents in the city of Palangkaraya have expressed relief at being able to see blue skies for the first time in months and schools which had previously been closed for health reasons have been able to reopen. Over the past couple of months the fires were so widespread and the smoke they created so prominent that Indonesia overtook the USA as the second largest producer of C02 being released into the atmosphere. These two months of additional pollution increased worries about global warming, and as a result climate change.
The fires may be under control and close to being fully extinguished, but the ongoing effects of them will still be felt for months to come. The Orangutans in Indonesian Borneo still drastically need your help. A huge amount of forest has been destroyed by the blaze and this means that a large number of Orangutans have been displaced from their homes. Volunteers are still needed and will play a crucial role in helping the Orangutan sanctuaries such as IAR and Samboja get back on their feet after a huge increase in their workloads. The sanctuaries need your help so find out how you can volunteer here, and with 15% off our Orangutan projects in celebration of Orangutan Awareness Week there has never been a better time to do it. Make a difference now!
