TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) station in Pekanbaru, Riau, has detected 238 hot spots indicating forest fire in six provinces in Sumatra Island. The hot spots are still concentrated in South Sumatra Province (193 hot spots), Antaranews reported.
“There are five hot spots detected in Bengkulu, 26 in Lampung, 10 in Bangka Belitung, one in Jambi and three in Riau Islands,” said Pekanbaru BMKG Head Sugarin as quoted by Antaranews
The total number hot spots had increased compared to that detected on Saturday morning, which was only 85 hot spots. While there is no hot spots confirmed in Riau, some regions in the province continue to be shrouded by thin smog.
Visibility is around 1,500 meters in Pekanbaru, 1,700 meters in Pelalawan, 3,000 meters in Dumai and 2,000 meters in Rengat, Indragiri Hulu Regency.
Head of BPBD Riau Edwar Sanger believes that the effort to tackle forest and land fire in Riau is relatively successful. Edwar said that the smog shrouding Riau for the past two months are coming from South Sumatra Provinces.
Riau police has named 58 suspects for land burning and probes 18 corporations. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of people in Riau have suffered from respiratory infection due to the haze.
ANTARA
