TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Head of Data and Information of the National Agency of Disaster Management (BNPB) Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said that the number of hotspots in Kalimantan and Sumatra are increasing. In Sumatra, the wind is blowing north and northeast from South Sumatra heading to Riau.
"The fog from Riau and South Sumatra spreads to Singapore," said Sutopo. The fog then caused air pollution index in the nation to increase at moderate level.
Based on the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (Terra and Aqua) satellite, there are 630 hotspots in Central Kalimantan, 268 hotspots in West Kalimantan, and 74 hotspots in South Kalimantan. As in Sumatra, there are 281 hotspots in South Sumatra, 94 in Riau, 53 in Bangka Belitung, 48 in Jambi, and 8 in Lampung.
Previously, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) had delivered his apology to Singapore and Malaysia due to the fire in Riau that caused a heavy fog spreading to the two nations. "I am, as the President of Republic Indonesia, apologized and asked our brothers in Singapore and Malaysia to understand [the situation]," said SBY in June.
MUHAMMAD MUHYIDDIN
