Haze blankets North Sumatra capital Medan

The head of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency at Polonia Airport in Medan, North Sumatra, hinted on Tuesday that the haze which had been covering the city since Saturday had the potential to become a very serious problem.

"The number of hot spots from forest fires was 191 on Saturday, 550 on Sunday spreading in Asahan, Labuhan Batu and Langkat regencies in North Sumatra, Aceh, the Riau Islands and the southern part of Malaysia," Firman said.

"On Monday, the satellite only found 360 hot spots because the hot spots in Central Aceh had disappeared," Firman said. But this did not mean that the situation would improve over the coming days.

Haze had also affected Polonia Airport. Visibility was down to 1,500 meters on Monday, while normally it was between 7,000 and 10,000 meters. According to Firman, activities at the airport, including flights, were all normal, but he warned everyone to be on alert.

The above photo shows an Airbus waiting for cargo to be loaded.

He said that haze usually appeared between the months of June and July when the dry season extended to most areas of the country.

Firman called on residents to be extra careful by minimizing outdoor activities. "The haze could cause respiratory problems."