Thick haze spreads in Sumatra, Kalimantan
Thick haze spreads in Sumatra, Kalimantan
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Choking, thick haze that has sporadically hit mainland Riau and
Kalimantan has spread and reached other islands, raising health
concerns.
A wind blowing strongly from the south is pushing thick haze
from Riau toward the northern tip of Sumatra, turning the air
above the North Sumatra capital, Medan, gray and cloudy. The same
thing has occurred from Central and West Kalimantan to northern
Sulawesi.
Many Medan residents complained on Saturday that the haze had
made it difficult for them to breathe and many others had to stay
indoors, as visibility had dropped to only 200 meters since early
in the morning.
The local office of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency has
detected at least 230 hot spots in the province and fires raging
in several forested parts of Riau have spread to South Tapanuli
and Labuhan Batu regencies, North Sumatra.
Authorities in Minahasa, North Sulawesi, warned local people
not to burn land to clear it for agriculture or plantations
during the approach of the dry season, expected to last until
November.
They said any forest fires in the region would worsen
conditions, as part of the region had been covered by haze from
Kalimantan.
As many as 73 hot spots were detected in South Kalimantan; the
provincial administration has threatened to impose harsh
sanctions on companies burning forests during the dry season.
The air in Riau, including the provincial capital, Pekanbaru,
was bad and a major part of the province's mainland remained dark
until 9 a.m. local time.
The haze limited visibility to 100 meters but did not affect
operations at Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport. Most residents
stayed indoors.
"The provincial administration and other relevant authorities
must act urgently because the haze has caused respiratory
problems for residents," Elis, a private company employee said in
Pekanbaru on Saturday, as quoted by Antara news agency.
The news agency reported that a choking, thick haze had
covered a major part of mainland Riau because fires near and
inside three conserved forests in Minas, Kampar and Dumai had yet
to be extinguished. Moreover, the fires were spreading to other
regencies and North Sumatra province.
A number of companies backed by the military have set fire to
their land to clear it for plantations in several regencies in
the province.
Haze has been an annual problem for the last decade and it has
a lot to do with the burning of forests by farmers and
unscrupulous companies to clear land for agriculture and
plantations. The haze has reappeared this year due to the absence
of tough action on behalf of the relevant authorities on the
culprits.