Haze caused by forest and land fires in several parts of South\nSumatra grew thicker on Thursday morning (22 October).<\/p>\n
Thick haze covered roads across urban areas, leaving visibility\nseverely restricted. The conditions disrupted residents\u2019 activities from\nearly in the morning.<\/p>\n
On-the-ground observations showed that the haze was getting thicker\nby the day. Air quality was also becoming increasingly unhealthy, with\nresidents complaining of sore eyes, shortness of breath, coughing and\nflu-like symptoms.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s getting thicker and disrupting daily activities. My eyes sting\nand I\u2019m short of breath; it feels like being above the clouds. It\u2019s hot,\nthick and smoky everywhere,\u201d said Hendra Basirin, a resident of\nPalembang.<\/p>\n
Residents also questioned the effectiveness of the government\u2019s use\nof dry ice to tackle the haze several days earlier.<\/p>\n
One resident said the dry ice had an effect for only a day before the\nhaze returned. \u201cIt\u2019s just wasting money; the dry ice lasts only two\ndays, and the haze is still here, again and again,\u201d the resident\ncomplained.<\/p>\n
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and the National\nResearch and Innovation Agency (BRIN) carried out cloud seeding using\n1,600 kilogrammes of dry ice and 800 kilogrammes of salt on 19 October\nto disperse the haze and trigger artificial rain.<\/p>\n
Residents hope the South Sumatra provincial government will take a\nmore serious and responsible approach to tackling the forest and land\nfires, which have been burning for two months without being brought\nunder control.<\/p>\n
BNPB said the dry-ice seeding was part of Weather Modification\nTechnology (TMC), whose effectiveness depends on cloud conditions and\nwind speed. Wind speeds currently remain stagnant at 5\u201310 kilometres per\nhour.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/haze-from-south-sumatra-forest-and-land-fires-thickens-visibility-restricted-1792644772", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }