The Losing Battle of the Peatswamps of Central Kalimantan
These pictures were taken in 1997 by Jonathan Head
A woman cleaning rattan in Dadahup village, Kapuas Region. Rattan, one of the main products of Central Kalimantan. Many rattan fields were burnt in the 1997 fires in Central Kalimantan.
Transmigration village in Dadahup village. The Mega Rice Project, an ambitious project to convert more than one million hectares of peatswamp forest into rice fields was declared a failure after the poorly planned project caused a million problems.
Slash and burn. The easiest and cheapest way to clear land. The exceptionally dry year of 1997 and the El Nino weather phenomenon made this annual ritual disastrous.
Smoke from the smouldering peat from Central Kalimantan travelled as far as Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, causing limited visibility, health problems from poor air quality and huge loss from declining tourism, air and sea traffic problems.
Smoke from the burning peat caused zero visibility in some places.
Burnt rattan field. Another major income up in smokes.
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