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Pekanbaru air 'very unhealthy' for residents
The air quality in the Riau provincial capital, Pekanbaru, is now âvery unhealthyâ due to haze from land and forest fires
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The air quality in the Riau provincial capital, Pekanbaru, is now 'very unhealthy' due to haze from land and forest fires.
An air pollution index measurement tool, which is located in the city center, showed that the level of atmospheric particulate matter (PM10) was 200: unhealthly, Antara news agency reported Sunday.
'The smoke is getting worse and seeping into houses, making it difficult to sleep,' Suliswanto, 24, a Pekanbaru resident said on Sunday.
Another resident, Andayani, 31, said this year had been the most worst since land and forest fires had become so severe in 1997.
'In 1997 the haze only lasted a week. This year, it has been one month already, with no end in sight,' Andayani said.
According to data released by the Riau Haze Emergency Response Task Force, not only Pekanbaru was affected but also Dumai.
In Bengkalis and Siak regencies, the Pollution Standard Index hit 500, meaning the haze was 'hazardous'.
More than 43,000 people are suffering from diseases due to the haze from land and forest fires engulfing more than 14,000 hectares of land.
Meanwhile, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) announced that there were 368 hotspots on Sumatra, of which 327 were in Riau as of Sunday.
The confidence level of hotspots is more than 71 percent, meaning that at least 183 marks were actual fires. (put/nvn)
