Haze, fog again blanket Riau province

Antara 4 Aug 09;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - Haze and fog on Tuesday again blanketed Pekanbaru city, Dumai, Siak, Pelalawan, Indragiri Hulu, Rokan Hilir and Bengkalis in Riau province, a local government official said.

The thick fog which covered the city before noon had also lowered visibility and was affecting human health.

"The air which smells like smoke is also affecting our breath. Our eyes become irritated," Nasir (46) a civil servant working for the provincial administration said.

A resident, Nasir, was suffering so seriously of breathing problems and cough, he had to seek medication at the Petala Bumi General Hospital.

"It seems many people are suffering from breathing problems and cough. No one can stand this dirty air," Nasir said.

Another resident, Anita from Bagansiapi-api, the Rokan Hilir district`s capital also complained about fog which again blanketing her residential area after a few days of free from weather problem.

"Today thick smoke again covers the air, including limited visibility," she said.

Meanwhile, haze and fog also blanketed the industrial town of Dumai due to forest and land fire. Ash particles were clearly flying in the air of the town, she said.

Thick fog also blanketed land traffic in the eastern part of Sumatra linking Pelalawan, Pekanbaru with North Sumatra.

Earlier reports said the situation in Riau had reached a serious level and strong winds now from the southeast to the northeast may bring the haze to Malaysia and Singapore.(*)

Haze reaches dangerous level: Official
Rizal Harahap, The Jakarta Post 4 Aug 09;

The intense haze from forest fires covering parts of Pekanbaru in the last month has reached dangerous levels, an official has warned.

Head of the provincial environment agency, Dedi Gusriadi, said Tuesday the latest air-quality reading in three areas in Riau’s capital city showed dust pollution levels ranged from 120 to 404.30 microns per cubic meter, or above the tolerable mark of 100.

Throughout July the city only experienced two days with healthy air levels, compared to 19 days of unhealthy and one day of dangerous air quality, Dedi said.

“The number of days with poor air quality is the worst seen in the past two years,” he said.

Recently, there were indications the air quality would improve, but since Monday conditions have worsened significantly.

Dedi said his office had asked the public to minimize outdoor activities and requested schools consider suspending lessons due to the dangerous pollution levels.

Meanwhile the thick smog triggered a number of flight delays at Sultan Sarif Kasim airport in Pekanbaru over the past few days. Airport duty manager Ibnu Hasan said three flights were postponed and a plane was advised to reposition its landing to Polonia airport in Medan due to limited visibility.

Satellite discovers 90 hotspots in South Sumatra
Khairul Saleh, The Jakarta Post 4 Aug 09;

The South Sumatra forestry agency said satellite footage had shown the existence of 90 hotspots across the province.

The agency’s head of forest and land control Hasanuddin said 23 of the hot spots were located in Musi Rawas regency, 13 each in Ogan Komering Ulu and Muba regencies, 11 in Muara Enim, 10 in Ogan Komering Ilir and the rest in Lubuklinggau, Lahat, Prabumulih, South Ogan Kemering Ulu and Banyuasin.

“So far, the fires were set to clear land and have not sparked prolonged haze. The fires commonly cease after two or three hours,” Hasanuddin said.

The agency, however, has intensified its patrolling in the areas most prone to forest and bush fires, particularly in peatland areas.

He said locals had been informed about the danger of clearing land using fire, but they had ignored the government’s warningl.

“They said they had no other methods that were cheaper and faster than burning their land,” Hasanuddin said.