Haze feared to worsen in next few days: Report
Haze feared to worsen in next few days: Report
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The haze blanketing Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan
has worsened over the past few days, Antara reported on Monday.
In Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, the news agency reported
that thick haze had shrouded the city and reduced visibility to
between two and three meters, making it dangerous for motorists.
Climatologists predicted that the haze would reach its highest
level within the next few days, it said.
A pollution index monitoring station in the city read
"unhealthy" and "dangerous", reflecting the very poor air
quality.
Motorcyclists and car drivers were forced to reduce their
speeds to avoid accidents.
The majority of Palangkaraya residents preferred to stay at
home, and those having to venture outside wore masks.
The haze is caused by forest fires that are burning in many
areas of Central Kalimantan, except in West Kotawaringin.
The haze is now covering all of South Kalimantan province,
including those areas previously free from the smoke such as Hulu
Sungai Utara, Hulu Sungai Tengah and Hulu Sungai Selatan
regencies.
Syamsudin Noor Airport in Banjarbaru mayoralty is one of the
worst affected areas.
The haze has not only restricted visibility, but is also
causing health problems for residents, including respiratory
difficulties and irritated eyes.
Meanwhile in Central Sulawesi, the city of Palu is also
beginning to be affected by haze, though it has not yet reached
dangerous levels.
The Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) said the haze had
not yet disrupted flights to and from the city, with visibility
measured at between five and eight kilometers.
"With the current wind pattern, we think the haze came from
forest and paddy straw fires in Donggala and Palu regencies, not
from Kalimantan," Girwanto, the head of the agency in Palu, said.
Meanwhile, the South Sumatra Health Agency distributed 20,000
masks to residents in 11 regencies and cities in the province.
"We distributed the masks because the thick haze has blanketed
the area," agency head Joedyaningsih said.
Of 18 hotspots, 16 have been recognized as being dangerous for
local residents.
The haze could cause breathing difficulties and adversely
affect children and infants, the agency warned.
The provincial health agency also distributed medicine to
residents and pledged to provide medical treatment for those
people suffering health problems caused by the smoke
Last week, a disaster mitigation team from the Office of the
State Minister for Research and Technology said a weak El Nino
would cause the eastern part of Indonesia to suffer from a
prolonged drought.
The team said forest fires might continue but that rice
production would not be disrupted and fish production would
increase.