KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 30 — It will take three years to complete construction of canals and temporary water reserves in forests before long-term results to the haze crisis can be seen, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said.
Joko told UK broadcaster BBC News in an interview this week that he has deployed 3,700 military officers, 7,900 police officers, 18 helicopters and four planes for water bombing, as the haze - an annual problem resulting from Indonesian forest fires - chokes Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia.
“We have been working hard in dealing with the haze problem. But this is not a problem that you can solve quickly because it involves land burning in tens of thousands of hectares in six provinces,” Joko said, according to an interview transcript provided by BBC News today.
“We need to build temporary water reserves in the forests; we need to dig canals to flow water to the peat forest. These physical works need time.
“I think we need three years for all the physical work to be completed and for you to see the result - but I believe that there will be progress every year too, because there is consistency in our approach,” he added.
The haze forced the temporary closure of some airports in Malaysia earlier this week, with several flights affected, while schools in three states and the federal territories were closed Monday.
According to the Department of Environment’s Air Pollutant Index (API), 17 areas in Malaysia recorded unhealthy air quality as at 5pm today in Johor, Malacca, Negri Sembilan, Pahang, Selangor, Terengganu, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
