Indonesia: Riau Police name palm oil corporation as forest fire suspect

Rizal Harahap The Jakarta Post 10 Aug 19;

The Riau Police on Friday named palm oil company PT Sumber Sawit Sejahtera as the suspect in a forest fire in Pelalawan regency, Riau.

The corporation is alleged to be responsible for causing a fire on a 150-hectare field in Meranti district, Pelalawan.

Riau Police chief Insp. Gen. Widodo Eko Prihastopo said the police decided to name the company the suspect after gathering enough evidence and statements from expert witnesses.

“We have started the investigation and interrogated several witnesses from the corporation to uncover the cause of the fire,” he told The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Although the police named the corporation the suspect in the case, so far they have not named any individual responsible for the blaze.

The Riau Police have also investigated another corporation to determine its involvement in another forest fire that occurred in Langgam district, Pelalawan.

“We are still studying the case. There is a possibility that the company will become a suspect as well,” Eko said. However, he did not reveal the company’s name to the press.

The head of the Riau Police’s crime unit, Sr. Comr. Gidion Arif Setiawan, added that the investigation started in early February after the police received a report of a fire in the concession field. The police also named 26 other people as suspects over forest fires in several regencies and cities.

Riau Governor Syamsuar promised that he would regulate illegal oil palm plantations around the island.

“Many people try to create new plantations by burning [forest]. They try to clear the forest so later they can use it as a plantation,” Syamsuar said, adding that he would start regulating the illegal plantations after the Indonesian independence celebrations on Aug. 17.

“Hopefully there won’t be other forest fires in Riau,” he adds. (dpk)

Smog from forest fires shrouds Riau, West & Central Kalimantan
Antara 10 Aug 19;

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Smog emanating from forest fires hung over the provinces of Riau, West Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan though not descending over Singapore and Malaysia, Agus Wibowo, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman, stated.

"The haze blows toward southeast and north. The smog cover has increased in Riau or Central Kalimantan," Wibowo noted here on Saturday.

The air quality has worsened in Pekanbaru, Riau, and Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. The concentrations of particulate matter (PM10) reached 173, or considered unhealthy, in Pekanbaru, and 126, or moderate, in Palangkaraya.

Based on satellite monitoring on Saturday at 7 a.m. local time, 126 hotspots were found in Riau, four in Jambi, 13 each in South Sumatra and South Kalimantan, 533 in West Kalimantan, and 159 in Central Kalimantan.

In the meantime, at least 1,136 residents of Pekanbaru, Riau Province, have ailed from upper respiratory tract infections following exposure to haze arising from forest fires raging in the province’s several districts.

All community health posts in Pekanbaru were notified to be prepared to deliver optimal services to patients with respiratory ailments, Mohammad Amin, acting head of the Pekanbaru health office, had stated recently.

Most outpatients were people belonging to the productive age group that often conducted outdoor activities, he explained.

He called on Pekanbaru residents to watch out for their health and remain indoors at a time when haze blankets their city.

Reporter: Dewanto S, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution

Forest fires cause unhealthy air quality in Pekanbaru, Riau
Antara 10 Aug 19;

"Yes, the air quality is now unhealthy," Yudhistira Mawaddah, analyst of the station, said here on Saturday morning.
Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA) - Forest fire-induced smog, enveloping Pekanbaru, Riau Province, has lowered visibility and polluted the air, according to the Pekanbaru meteorology station.

"Yes, the air quality is now unhealthy," Yudhistira Mawaddah, analyst at the station, noted here on Saturday morning.

Haze from forest fires blanketed Pekanbaru in the morning, although on Friday afternoon, the air quality had improved, and the air was relatively clear, he pointed out.

The concentration of coarse particulate matter (PM10) in the air had risen and considered unhealthy, as it had exceeded 150 micrograms per cubic meters, he remarked. The city's air quality has continued to deteriorate since Saturday at 2 a.m. local time.

"At 8 this morning, the PM10 is at 160," he stated.

The visibility rate dropped to two kilometers in Pekanbaru and Dumai, three kilometers in Pelalawan, and six kilometers in Rengat.

The haze, shrouding Pekanbaru, came from forest fires in the neighboring districts of Siak and Pelalawan.

On Saturday at 6 a.m. local time, the Terra and Aqua satellites detected 71 hotspots in Riau, comprising 24 in Siak, 16 in Pelalawan, 13 in Bengkalis, seven in Rokan Hilir, six in Indragiri Hilir, four in Meranti, and one in Indragiri Hulu.

Of the 71 hotspots, 51 were indicated as fire spots, with 22 in Siak, 11 in Pelalawan, six in Bengkalis, five in Indragiri Hilir, four in Rohan Hilir, and three in Meranti Island.

He forecast that northern Riau would be bright but cloudy on Saturday, and it would likely have brief light rain.

In the meantime, at least 1,136 residents of Pekanbaru, Riau Province, have suffered from upper respiratory tract infections following exposure to haze arising from forest fires raging in the province’s several districts.

All community health posts in Pekanbaru were notified to be prepared to deliver optimal services to respiratory patients, Mohammad Amin, acting head of the Pekanbaru health office, had stated recently.

Most outpatients were people belonging to the productive age group that often conducted outdoor activities, he explained.

He called on Pekanbaru residents to watch out for their health and remain indoors at a time when haze shrouds their city.

Reporter: FB Anggoro, Fardah
Editor: Rahmad Nasution

People affected by forest fires should stay indoors
Antara 8 Aug 19;

Jakarta (ANTARA) - People living in land-fire and forest fire-affected areas should avoid outdoor activities so they are not exposed to smoke, Director of Environmental Health of the Health Ministry Imran Agus Nurali has appealed. "We ask the public not to carry out outdoor activities so frequently. They should try, as far as possible, to avoid being exposed to smoke," he said here Thursday.

The pollution caused by land and forest fires may have an acute health impact in the short run, he said.

Acute respiratory tract infection is a health disorder which is mostly found where the air quality is bad due to land and forest fires, he said.

The infection may trigger other diseases among the people exposed to air pollution, he said.

"Since it is acute, it could trigger asthma, hypertension and heart disease for those running the risk of the diseases," he said.

Health offices both at provincial and district/municipal levels are still able to cope with the problems caused by land and forest fires, he said.

"Of course, we must prevent land and forest fires. Not only local people but companies also set fire to the forest to make way for farmland," he said.

The commitment and policy of regional governments are essential to handle air pollution caused by land and forest fires, vehicles and industries, he said.

Reporter: Aditya Ramadhan/Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution