Pekanbaru Mayor Orders Evacuation of Infants Due to Haze

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta-Mayor of Pekanbaru Firdaus has issued an order to evacuate infants under six months of age in 12 sub-districts badly affected by haze arising from the forest fires.

"We will evacuate them this afternoon. A team is now coordinating the evacuation process," Mayor Firdaus noted on Tuesday, September 29.

The local authorities will coordinate the evacuation of infants below six months of age from underprivileged families, he stated.

They will be evacuated to a city hall that has been transformed into a makeshift nursery and has been equipped with baby boxes, air conditioners, and a health clinic. The local authorities will also provide milk to the infants.

The evacuation has been deemed necessary as Pekanbaru’s air pollution index has reached a hazardous level over the past week.

"At present, the air pollution index in Pekanbaru has reached one thousand psi, which is categorized as hazardous," he remarked.

Poor families usually do not have good facilities for infants, thus the air quality inside their homes is similar to that outside, he noted.

"Therefore, we are trying to provide facilities, including good air conditioning, so that the infants, the country’s next generation, can breathe clean air," he affirmed.

The evacuation process will be carried out by personnel of the local disaster mitigation office (BPBD), health office, community health centers, and village heads.

"The infants will stay at the city hall as long as the air quality is bad," he noted.

ANTARA