More hot spots, haze detected on three islands<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post,
\nJakarta\/Medan<\/p>\n
More provinces in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi islands are
\nshowing hot spots, a strong indication of forest fires, with haze
\nalready shrouding some areas of these provinces.<\/p>\n
The director of the forest fires detection and evaluation
\ndivision at the Ministry of Forestry Willistra Danny said on
\nWednesday that the ministry had detected a number of hot spots in
\nNorth Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, West and Central Kalimantan, and
\nCentral and Southeast Sulawesi provinces.<\/p>\n
\"It is the first time we have detected hot spots in Sulawesi
\nduring the current fires. Hot spots mostly occur in Riau and West
\nKalimantan,\" he said. He failed, however, to specify the number
\nof hot spots.<\/p>\n
The latest data from the ASEAN Specialized Meteorological
\nCentre (ASMC) satellite on May 29 showed there were 110 hot spots
\nin Riau province alone.<\/p>\n
Teams of firefighters had been instructed to check the
\nlocations of the hot spots.<\/p>\n
Willistra said two teams in Riau consisting of 30 trainees
\nwere being deployed in Dumai, the port used by the PT Caltex
\nPacific Indonesia oil and gas company, to extinguish forest fires
\nin the area.<\/p>\n
North Sumatra, Jambi, West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan
\nhave also deployed teams of firefighters.<\/p>\n
\"All of the team members have been trained to put out forest
\nfires. Now they are being deployed in the field in cooperation
\nwith local administrations and companies,\" he said, referring to
\ncooperation between the Riau teams and Caltex.<\/p>\n
In North Sumatra, thick haze from forest fires began to
\nblanket several areas in the province.<\/p>\n
The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) reported that 48
\nhot spots were found on Wednesday in Labuhan Batu, South
\nTapanuli, Tarutung and Dairi regencies, an increase from 20 last
\nweek.<\/p>\n
Visibility is also only between 1,000 and 2,000 meters.<\/p>\n
\"Within the last two weeks there has been no rain in North
\nSumatra. This will encourage forest fires,\" BMG Medan head Firman
\ntold the Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The haze had reached a level that could endanger human health
\nbut so far it had yet to endanger land, sea and air
\ntransportation.<\/p>\n
In Pekanbaru, Riau, Antara reported that choking haze had
\nlimited visibility to only 300 meters.<\/p>\n
Aside from the haze, the dust and the smell from the fires
\nwere also bothering motorists in the city. Many drivers turned on
\ntheir headlights and reduced their speed even when the roads were
\nempty, fearing possible traffic accidents.<\/p>\n
Local people hoped the responsible authorities would take
\nconcrete action to tackle the fires.<\/p>\n
\"Don't only talk in the newspapers. They must take definite
\naction to stop the forest fires as the haze has reached alarming
\nlevels in Riau,\" Hendra said.<\/p>\n
Riau forestry office director Syuhada has warned 40 companies
\nin the province not to clear land using the slash and burn
\nmethod.<\/p>\n
Forest fires have become an annual problem in Indonesia due to
\nland clearance activities using the slash and burn method. The
\nmethod has been banned by the government but forestry companies
\nand local people continued to practice it as it is cheaper than
\nother methods. So far, Malaysian company PT Adei Plantation has
\nbeen fined US$1.1 million for clearing land using the slash and
\nburn method.<\/p>\n
Forest fires have also spread choking haze annually over
\nSingapore and Malaysia, forcing the two countries to often cancel
\nflights.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/more-hot-spots-haze-detected-on-three-islands-1447893297",
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