Sumatra Forest and Land Fire Hotspots Increase to 203
Sumatra has recorded 203 forest and land fire hotspots during the Idul Adha holiday, with a total of 203 hotspots detected across the island. BMKG Pekanbaru forecaster Anggun R stated that North Sumatra province had the highest number of hotspots at 48, followed by Aceh with 44, West Sumatra with 42, South Sumatra with 37, Jambi with 7, Lampung with 3, and Bangka Belitung with 2.
“Riau province recorded 20 hotspots,” she said on Wednesday (27 May).
The 20 hotspots in Riau were spread across six districts: Siak with the most at 6, followed by Indragiri Hulu with 5, Pelalawan with 3, Kampar with 3, Indragiri Hilir with 2, and Rokan Hulu with 1.
“BMKG urges the public to remain vigilant against potential land fires, despite some areas in Riau expected to receive rain in the coming days,” she added.
The weather forecast is predominantly cloudy with some sunshine. However, light to moderate rain is still likely in several areas, particularly in the morning, afternoon, and evening.
“Based on BMKG radar imagery, light to moderate rain is forecast in parts of Dumai, Rokan Hilir, Bengkalis, and Indragiri Hilir,” she said.
During midday, Riau’s weather is expected to be partly cloudy to cloudy, with localised light rain possible in Dumai and Rokan Hilir.
In the afternoon and evening, light to moderate rain is forecast for Dumai, Rokan Hilir, Kampar, and Rokan Hulu.
At dawn, light rain is predicted in parts of Indragiri Hilir with hazy to cloudy conditions.
BMKG confirmed no extreme weather warnings for Riau today.
Temperatures across Riau generally range from 23 to 34 degrees Celsius with humidity levels between 55% and 98%. Winds blow from the south to north-west at 10 to 30 kilometres per hour.
“Marine areas in Riau are expected to have wave heights of 0.5 to 1.25 metres, classified as low,” she said.
Head of Sumatra’s Forest Fire Control Centre Ferdian Krisnanto stated that Manggala Agni teams are actively fighting forest fires at several locations.
“Operations at Pasir Limau Kapas in Rokan Hilir are being handled by Manggala Agni Daops III/Labuan Batu Selatan in North Sumatra, while Kandis in Siak is managed by Manggala Agni Daops IV/Pekanbaru,” he added.