Antara 7 Sep 15;
Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - Hundreds of students of Riau University here, Monday, staged a rally to express their five-point demands to the government regarding haze disasters.
First, the government should declare a haze emergency status since the haze disaster has affected public health, field coordinator of the rally Siti Lestari noted.
The students also urged the authorities to take legal action against plantation companies found guilty of setting fires that razed thousands of hectares of forest and plantation areas in Riau Province.
Haze problem has repeatedly occurred due to weak legal enforcement, she pointed out.
The students also emphasized that hospitals must offer free medical services to those affected by the haze, particularly patients suffering from respiratory infections.
"Inhabitants who become victims of the haze must not pay for medical services to treat their respiratory infections," she affirmed.
As Riaus inhabitants are reeling under the impact of the haze, hence the government must evacuate the victims, according to the students.
Annually for the past 18 years, Riau has been affected by haze arising from forest and plantation fires.
Over the last week, visibility in parts of Riau has dropped to between 200-800 meters.
On Monday, a total of 413 hotspots were detected across Sumatra Island. Riau Province had 45 hotspots, Bengkulu five hotspots, Jambi 170, Lampung 31, South Sumatra 79, West Sumatra four, Bangka Belitung 77, and two hotspots in Riau Islands.(*)
