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.