Haze blankets Jambi city

Haze blankets Jambi city

JAMBI, Jambi: Jambi city has been blanketed by haze for the past several days as a result of fires that have burned hundreds of hectares of palm oil plantations in Muarojambi regency.

Joko Fajar, the head of the Forest Fire Relief Center, said satellite photos showed an increasing number of hot spots in the area, from 12 on Sunday to 15 on Monday.

He said his office had deployed two teams of firemen to battle the fires, as well as a team of investigators to probe whether the fires were caused by human activities.

It is common for individuals and plantation companies to clear land by burning.

The haze did not disrupt flights on Monday, with pilot visibility between two kilometers and three kilometers, far above the minimum threshold of 1.5 kilometers to two kilometers. -- JP