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Smoke and haze worsen in Central Kalimantan

(Antara/Rosa Panggabean)Haze caused by forest and peatland fires in North Barito regency, Central Kalimantan, was thicker on Saturday morning, bringing visibility down to 80 meters from 200 meters the day before, according to the local Meteorology and Geophysics Agency in Muara Teweh

The Jakarta Post
Sat, October 10, 2015

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Smoke and haze worsen in Central Kalimantan (Antara/Rosa Panggabean) (Antara/Rosa Panggabean)

(Antara/Rosa Panggabean)

Haze caused by forest and peatland fires in North Barito regency, Central Kalimantan, was thicker on Saturday morning, bringing visibility down to 80 meters from 200 meters the day before, according to the local Meteorology and Geophysics Agency in Muara Teweh.

Residents confirmed the worsening smoke. '€œThe smoke and haze are thicker [on Saturday] morning, the visibility was very limited. It leaves us breathless,'€ said Hermanto, who lives in Muara Teweh.

Meanwhile, an officer at Muara Teweh'€™s conservation office, Aswaludin, said the satellites NOAA 18 (from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and Terra Aqua (from NASA) detected new hotspots on Friday night.

'€œThe NOAA 18 satellite detected four hotspots, while Terra Aqua detected eight hotspots in different places of North Barito forests,'€ Aswaludin said.

Meanwhile, House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto called on President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo to appointed one of his aides as a coordinator to solve the haze disaster.

'€œI have proposed it to President Jokowi. The coordinator could be the coordinating political, legal and security affairs minister or the coordinating human development and culture minister,'€ said Setya as quoted by tribbunnews.com on Friday.

Forest fires occur every year and cause a range of problems, affecting human health and disrupting flights. The government has yet to come up with a comprehensive solution to stop the forest fires from recurring annually. (bbn)(++++)

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