Deforestation Blamed for Worsening Water Supply in Sumatra
Jakarta. Sumatra’s watersheds — ridges of land that separate waters flowing to different rivers and keep those waters pristine — have lost the largest amount of forest cover in the world over the course of 15 years, drastically reducing the quality of its water supply, World Research Institute's Global Forest Watch Water revealed on Tuesday (30/08).
More than 22 percent of Sumatra's forest cover, or 8 million hectares — an area almost as large as the entire province of North Sumatra — was destroyed from 2000 to 2014.
source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/deforestation-blamed-worsening-water-supply-sumatra/
Haze disrupts flights in Dumai, Riau
Flights at Pinang Kampai Airport in Dumai, Riau were disrupted by haze from forest fires in several areas in the province over the weekend.
The head of the airport, Catur Hargowo, said the haze limited visibility to only about 1-kilometer. Until noon on Sunday, the thickness of the haze fluctuated and visibility improved to only 2-km.
source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/28/haze-disrupts-flights-in-dumai-riau.html
East Flores Deep Sea Earthquake a `Rare` Phenomenon
TEMPO.CO, Bandung - The earthquake that struck East Flores on the early hours of Wednesday, August 24, 2016, is considered a deep-focus earthquake - a rarely encountered phenomenon as the epicentre of the earthquake is located at a depth of 537 kilometres.
"There are a lot of questions that remain unanswered to this day about what causes the phenomenon and its' impact," said the Head of Earthquake and Tsunami Mitigation for the Meterology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Daryono on Wednesday, August 24, 2016
source: http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/08/24/206798453/East-Flores-Deep-Sea-Earthquake-a-Rare-Phenomenon
Concerns grow in Pontianak as number of hot spots increases
The number of hot spots in West Kalimantan has increased rapidly in the past two weeks, from a dozen to over 100, raising concerns over air pollution and the disruption of flights at the province’s Supadio Airport.
Haze resulting from forest fires has covered Dumai, Riau, too.
source: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2016/08/19/concerns-grow-pontianak-number-hot-spots-increases.html
Saving the Remaining Sumatran Tigers
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia is one of the 13 countries in the world that have tigers living within their borders.
India has the largest number of tigers, currently estimated to be be 2,226 in numbers, followed by Russia (433), Indonesia (371), Malaysia (250), Nepal (198), Thailand (189), Bangladesh (106) and Bhutan (103), according to data from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.
source: http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/08/18/206796888/Saving-the-Remaining-Sumatran-Tigers
High Risk of Forest Fires With 173 Hotspots Reported in Sumatra
Jakarta. The Pekanbaru Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, or BMKG, has detected 173 hotspots with a high potential, or 50 percent chance, for forest and land fires on the Sumatran mainland on Monday (08/08).
The agency reported that that the hotspots were scattered over nine of the 10 provinces on the island. The number of hotspots increases by 12 since Sunday.
source: http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/high-risk-forest-fires-173-hotspots-reported-sumatra/
BMKG Issues Warning of Extreme Weather on August 6 to 8
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) forecasted that that some regions in Indonesia are likely to experience extreme weather such as heavy rain and strong winds from August 6 to 8, 2016.
Information from BMKG’s official website on Saturday shows that areas with potentially heavy rains include Aceh, East Kalimantan, Maluku, West Papua and Papua.
source: http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/08/06/206793789/BMKG-Issues-Warning-of-Extreme-Weather-on-August-6-to-8
Two Orangutans Released in Seruyan Natural Habitat
TEMPO.CO, Pangkalan Bun, Central Kalimantan - Two orangutans were released into the wild in Seruyan, Central Kalimantan, by the Orangutan Foundation International (OFI), a non-profit organization established to conserve orangutans and their natural habitats, along with Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) / PT SMART.
"Watching the disappearance of orangutans in the wild concerns us. It is imperative for business makers to actively participate in conservation efforts and establish firm policies in protecting orangutans within their companys territory to prevent their extinction," said Professor Birute Galdikas, Founder and President of Orangutan Foundation International, in a press release received on Thursday.
source: http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/07/29/206791554/Two-Orangutans-Released-in-Seruyan-Natural-Habitat
VP Kalla Presents Environment Awards on World Environment Day
TEMPO.CO, Siak, Riau - Vice President Jusuf Kalla presented 167 environment awards at World Environment Day commemorations held in Siak District, Riau province, on Friday.
The awards include 10 "Kalpataru" awards for individuals and community groups, and 11 "Nirwasita Tantra" awards for cities, districts and provinces, in recognition of their reports on the environmental conditions in their respective regions.
source: http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2016/07/23/206789881/VP-Kalla-Presents-Environment-Awards-on-World-Environment-Day
The pilots who make it rain
When a cloud-seeding pilot flies inside a storm, it is not a matter of flying from point A to point B: you are trying to get something out of the weather all around you. Where do you want to fly, and what are you going to find once you get there?
When you duck inside a cloud, at first, you see almost nothing. Then suddenly, there’s a dark mass coiffed in white, and you’ve got to go right into that dark place. It’s equal parts beautiful and strange.
source: http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20160720-the-pilots-who-make-it-rain
