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.