Forest Fire; Thick Smog Covers Pekanbaru City

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Thick smog allegedly caused by land and forest fire in Riau province clouded high buildings in Pekanbaru city, Tuesday, March 26.

The Terra and Aqua Satellite of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) of Pekanbaru station recorded a total of 34 hotspots which are indicating land and forest fires across the province.

“The hotspots are monitored at 07:00 a.m local times,” said BMKG of Pekanbaru Station head Sukisno on Tuesday, March 26.

Sukisno explained that most of the hotspots are located in Bengkalis regency at eight points, followed by Meranti (6), Indragiri Hilir (6), Pelalawan (5), Indragiri Hulu (4), Kampar, Rokan Hilir, and Rokan Hulu one point each.

Read also: Wildfire Hotspots in Riau Increased by 100 Percent within 2 Days

“The confidence level of those hotspots is over 70 percent or amounted to 16 hotspots,” he added.

Based on Tempo's observation, the smog in Pekanbaru city is thicker than yesterday.

Following the report, the visibility in Pekanbaru areas reached 7 kilometers, while in Indragiri Hilir up to 6 kilometers. In Pelalawan and Dumai, the visibility is even lowered due to the haze.

The Riau Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) recorded that the land and forest fire in Riau province continuously spread up to 2,700 hectares, and the largest fire occurred in the coastal areas, particularly Bengkalis up to 1,263.83 hectares.

RIYAN NOVITRA