Pekanbaru, Riau (Antara Bali) - Bush fires are a growing threat in
Sumatra with Terra and Aqua satellite detecting more hot spots mainly
in the province of Riau.
Terra and Aqua satellite detected 346 hot pots in Sumatra and 148
of which are in Riau causing a threat of forest fires, head of the data
and information division of the National Agency for Disaster Control
(BNPB) Agus Wibowo said here on Friday.
The latest data showed an increase of 87 in the number of hot
spots on Friday morning from the number on Thursday, Agus said.
Haze caused a drastic cut in visibility at 07.00 local time in a number of areas in Riau, he said.
"The cities of Dumai and the district of Pelalawan are blanketed
with thick smoke this morning that we could not see anything beyond 1
kilometer away in Dumai and 4 kilometers in the district of Pelalawan,"
he added.
In Pekanbaru the visibility is limited to three kilometers because
of haze, but aircraft could still take off and landing in the citys
Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport.
In Sumatra only the provinces of Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam and West
Sumatra are free from the threat of bush fires, Agus said.
In Riau, 148 hot spots are spread in 10 of its regencies and the
one having largest number of hot spot is the regency of Rokan Hilir,
where there are 73 hot spots.
The districts of Bengkalis and Kampar each has seven spots, the
municipal city of Dumai 14 spots , Kuantan Singingi six spots Pelalawan
12 spots, Rokan Hulu 14 spots, Indragiri Hulu nine spots, Indragiri
Hilir five spots and Siak a spot.
The risk of forest fires in Riau is still high in the dry season
with rain expected only in the eastern and western parts of the
province, Agus said.
The provincial administration of Riau has warned of the impact of long dry season and the weather phenomenon El Nino.
Hundreds of firemen assisted by three helicopters dropping water
bombs and an airplane to produce artificially made rain were sent to
cope with bush fires in the province.(WDY)
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