Indonesia: 700 Pekanbaru inhabitants suffer from respiratory illness due to haze

Antara 5 Aug 19;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA) - Some 700 people in Pekanbaru, Riau Province, currently suffer from respiratory illness as haze from forest fires has shrouded the city over the last several days.

The authorities had warned local inhabitants to stay indoor to prevent their health from being impacted by haze, Yohanes, secretary of the Riau Health Office, said here on Sunday.

At least 10 thousand face masks were distributed to motorbikers, drivers and pedestrians.

"We have distributed 10 thousand face marks to the public for free," he said.

Related news: Haze enveloping Pekanbaru compels students to wear face masks

Wati, an inhabitant of Lima Puluh Sub-district, Pekanbaru, said that two of her children had cough over the last two days.

"My first child even has hoarse voice although he did not drink ice at school," she said.

She believed that the health problem was caused by haze coming from forest fires in Pekanbaru and neighboring districts.

Her family members have to wear face masks when they go outside their home.

The smell of smoke was quite strong from early morning until around 9 a.m,, she noted.

She hoped that the authorities could put out the fires and arrested the arsonists.

Related news: Pekanbaru shrouded in haze from forest fire

In the meantime, Indonesia is currently experiencing severe dry spell induced by El Nino phenomenon.

The Terra and Aqua satellites detected 138 hotspots indicating forest fires in eight districts of Riau Province on Saturday morning.

Of the total 138 hotspots in Riau, 93 hotspots were believed to be fire spots, with a confidence level at over 70 percent.

Haze shrouded Pekanbaru, Dumai, and Pelalawan, lowering visibility to four kilometers, Sanya Gautami, analyst of the Pekanbaru meteorology station, remarked here on Saturday.

Of the total hotspots, 67 were spotted in Indragiri Hilir District. Wildfires were reportedly raging across the sub-districts of Keritang, Gaung Anak Serka, Enok, and Batang Tuaka in Indragiri Hilir over this weekend, Gautami revealed.

A total of 23 hotspots were recorded in Pelalawan District, decreasing from over 60 hotspots early this week.

Four hotspots were found in Bengkalis District, nine in Rohan Hilir, 31 in Siak, one each in Kuansing and Kampar, and two in Dumai.

Reporter: Riski Maruto, Fardah
Editor: Sri Haryati

BNPB ready to deploy more helicopters to put out forest fires
Antara 4 Aug 19;

Palangka Raya, C Kalimantan (ANTARA) - The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is ready to deploy more helicopters to put out land and forest fire in Central Kalimantan, the agency's chief Lt.Gen Doni Monardo said.

"We are ready if we are requested by the provincial administration," Monardo said at a coordination meeting to tackle land and forest fires here on Sunday.

Monardo has asserted the agency's commitment to assisting local governments to overcome land and forest fires. "We are here now to give support to Central Kalimantan Provincial Government, the Indonesian Military, the police and local people to prevent land and forest fires."

He furthermore called on people to stop slash and burn practice to clear the land, because it would be very difficult to extinguish the fires ravaging peatland areas.

"I also call on the media to disclose and disseminate information on the location of the fires, including names of the land owners," he said, adding that it will become a deterrent effect for them.

The Central Kalimantan Provincial Government's Regional Secretary Fakhrizal Fitri said the authority has deployed six water bombing helicopters and one patrol helicopter.

"Currently, of the total 13 districts/cities in Central Kalimantan, seven districts and one city have declared emergency status (for land and forest fire)," he said.

On July 29, at least 27 hotspots were detected in Riau, 26 in Jambi, 14 in Central Kalimantan, 12 in West Kalimantan, and five in South Sumatra.

Reporter: Rendhik Andika, Sri Haryati
Editor: Rahmad Nasution

Satellites detect 138 hotspots of forest fires in Riau
Antara 3 Aug 19;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA) - The Terra and Aqua satellites detected 138 hotspots indicating forest fires in eight districts of Riau Province on Saturday morning.

Haza shrouded Pekanbaru, Dumai, and Pelalawan, lowering visibility to four kilometers, Sanya Gautami, analyst of the Pekanbaru meteorology station, remarked here on Saturday.

Of the total hotspots, 67 were spotted in Indragiri Hilir District. Wildfires were reportedly raging across the sub-districts of Keritang, Gaung Anak Serka, Enok, and Batang Tuaka in Indragiri Hilir over this weekend, Gautami revealed.

A total of 23 hotspots were recorded in Pelalawan District, decreasing from over 60 hotspots early this week.

Four hotspots were found in Bengkalis District, nine in Rohan Hilir, 31 in Siak, one each in Kuansing and Kampar, and two in Dumai.

Of the total 138 hotspots in Riau, 93 hotspots were believed to be fire spots, with a confidence level at over 70 percent.

"Indragiri Hilir has 51 fire spots, while 25 in Siak, 10 in Pelalawan, six in Rohan Hilir, and one fire spot in Kampar," Gautami stated.

In addition to Riau, hotspots were detected in other provinces on Sumatra Island, including Jambi, with 41 hotspots; Lampung, 24; Riau Island, 13; South Sumatra, eight; and West Sumatra, 24.

Indonesia is currently experiencing a severe dry spell induced by the El Nino natural phenomenon that the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) forecasts will peak in August, thereby making it drier than that experienced in the previous year.

Until July 17, 2019, land and forest fires in the country had covered 42,740.42 hectares in 24 provinces.

Nearly 99 percent of the fires were triggered by intentional or accidental human activities, Agus Wibowo, spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), stated.

The Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs has appealed to 11 provincial administrations prone to land and forest fires to impose an emergency alert status in their respective regions.

So far, only five provinces – Riau, West Kalimantan, South Sumatra, South Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan – have declared an emergency status for forest fires.

Riau has declared an emergency status for land and forest fires from February 19 to October 31; West Kalimantan, from February 12 to December 31; South Sumatra, from March 8 to October 31; Central Kalimantan, from May 28 to August 26; and South Kalimantan, from June 1 to October 31, the ministry's deputy for social vulnerability and disaster impact, Dody Usodo, remarked in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Reporter: Anggi Romadhoni, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution

Investigators name one suspect in West Kalimantan wildfire probe
Kharishar Kahfi The Jakarta Post 5 Aug 19;

Investigators with the Environment and Forestry Ministry named an individual, identified only as 46-year-old UB, a suspect for allegedly starting a wildfire on 274 hectares of land in Kubu Raya regency, West Kalimantan.

According to a statement issued on Saturday, the case was opened when the intelligence team of the Kalimantan Environment and Forestry Law Enforcement Center's Quick Response Forest Rangers Unit (SPORC) was monitoring hotspots in Mount Loncek hamlet in the regency's Teluk Bakung village. The monitoring was done using a National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (Lapan) satellite.

Between July 18 and 21, the team went to the hamlet to verify data found during the monitoring process. It found that three plots of land covering 274 ha had been burned.

The team later found that UB allegedly used slash-and-burn techniques to clear the land with gas and an old rubber inner tube. Investigators arrested him and seized a gas lighter, a rubber tube and a machete.

The SPORC charged the suspect for allegedly violating the 2009 Environment Law, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years' imprisonment and Rp 10 billion (US$706,635) in fines.

According to the Environment and Forestry Ministry, wildfires burned 42,740 ha of land across the country between January and May — nearly twice the area burned in the corresponding period last year, which was 23,745 ha. The fires destroyed 2,274 ha of land in West Kalimantan, comprising 1,233 ha of peatland and 1,041 ha of mineral land.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry's law enforcement director general, Rasio Ridho Sani, said his office had dispatched teams across the country to arrest those suspected to have started forest or land fires.

“We have warned owners of concession areas in which we found hotspots to make sure that [fires] do not engulf their lands. Should they fail to do this, we will not hesitate to prosecute them by [...] ordering them to pay compensation or sending the responsible parties to jail,” Rasio said.