Nurfika Osman, Jakarta Globe 26 May 09;
Upper-respiratory problems have increased sharply in Riau and other parts of Sumatra as the annual plague of forest and plantation fires continues to pump a smoke-filled haze over much of western Indonesia.
Murzal Amir, the head of the provincial health agency, said on Tuesday that local data indicated the number of people with upper respiratory syndrome (ISPA) had risen significantly over the past two weeks.
Three community health centers in the provincial capital, Pekanbaru, have reported a 300 percent increase in ISPA sufferers, according to state-run news agency Antara.
Haze forced many schools in Riau to close on Tuesday, and shut down at least one airport in the province last week.
Antara reported that the number of upper respiratory sufferers at one health center had reached 384 so far this month, compared with just 105 for all of last month.
“Most of the patients are babies and children, those with low resistance because their immune systems are not fully developed,” Murzal said.
The problem is not new, he said, and has plagued the province for several years.
“We’ve strengthened the coordination between the provincial health agency and the district health agencies to deal with this,” he said.
“We have also asked the central government to provide us with masks this year in case of further outbreaks of haze-related ailments.”
Besides ISPA, eye and skin irritations and even diarrhea have reportedly increased because of the haze.
Rahmat, a duty officer at the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) in Riau, said there were 19 fires burning in Riau on Tuesday, a significant decrease from Monday’s 159.
The decrease was due to heavy rain over the province as well as other regions of Sumatra.
“In total, there were 104 fires in Sumatra today [Tuesday], while yesterday the number reached 346,” Rahmat said.
“Riau has always been at the top of the list in experiencing forest fires.”
Thick haze forces schools to shut on Indonesia's Sumatra
The Sun Daily 26 May 09;
Jakarta (May 26, 2009) - Haze from forest burnings and ground fires blanketed parts of Indonesia's Riau province on eastern Sumatra Friday, forcing schools to close, state media said Tuesday.
The head of Riau's Rokan Hilir district environment agency, Suma al- Falah, was quoted as saying by the state-run Antara news agency that a number of elementary schools in the area had been shut indefinitely to prevent students suffering from respiratory-related ailments.
According to data based on satellite imagery, as many as 159 forest and plantation fire hotspots were detected in Riau. Thick smoke covers most of the province.
Schools will reopen when the haze situation has improved, Suma said, adding that efforts are underway to extinguish the fires.
Health authorities also appealed to residents to stay indoors and limit outdoor activity.
The haze is often blamed on farmers and other landowners who set fire to scrubland and forest to clear land for cultivation. It is an annual phenomenon in Indonesia and worsens during the dry season.
Indonesia banned the practice of open-field burning in 1999 after the widespread fires of 1997 and 1998 caused a choking haze to also blanket parts of Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. The fires sparked diplomatic rows with Indonesia's neighbours in the 10-member Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).-- dpa
