TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
86 hot spots detected in Riau
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said on Wednesday that the Terra and Aqua satellites detected 86 hot spots, which indicated that forest and land fires are taking place in a number of regions in Riau
Change Size
T
he Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said on Wednesday that the Terra and Aqua satellites detected 86 hot spots, which indicated that forest and land fires are taking place in a number of regions in Riau.
"Data from 7 a.m. on March 4, 2015, show that the 86 detected hot spots are among 96 hot spots across Sumatra," head of BMKG's Pekanbaru office Sugarin said as quoted by Antara news agency.
Forest and land fires in the province frequently cause thick haze, which severely affects daily activities of local people as a result of poor visibility and choking smog that affects respiration.
Sugarin said the Riau provincial administration has issued an emergency status for forest fires in Riau where slash-and-burn agriculture practices were believed to be the culprit behind the annual disaster.
In the period between January and March this year, no less than 379 hectares were affected by fires, according to data from the Riau Emergency command post. (hhr)
