T

he Jambi city administration has dismissed school time for all elementary school and preschool students in the city because of thick smog and the local air pollution standard index (ISPU) level reaching a dangerous level.

Jambi Mayor Syarif Fasha said elementary school first graders to third graders would not be attending school for three days while fourth graders to sixth graders would have reduced school hours.

Preschools would be closed for up to a week.

“We advise residents to reduce their outdoor activities. If they have to, they should wear masks with air filters,” Syarif said on Monday.

Jambi Environment Agency secretary Taufik said that Jambi ISPU readings for PM25 pollutants had reached 318 or dangerous for health at 8:30 a.m. on Sunday, and increased to 418 at 9 a.m. Sunday.

“Based on [the pollutant level] numbers, students will have a day off because children are among the first to be affected by the smog,” Taufik said.

Jambi Military Resort Command commander Col. Elphis Rudy said local land and forest fire task force personnel had been stationed at the sites of forest fires.

“We have also cooperated with the Musi Banyuasi regency administration to handle the forest fire in Bayung Lencir district, especially in Medak village that directly borders with Muarojambi regency,” Rudy said.

No data is available yet on how much land was affected by the forest fires in Jambi. However, according to the Environment Rescuer Observer Body (LP2LH), at least 500 hectares of land was burned in Kumpeh Ulu district and along the Gelam River in Muarojambi regency. At least 300 hectares of land was also found to be burned in Sumay district, Tebo regency.

“We have forwarded the names of the land concession owners [whose land was affected by forest fires] to the Environment and Forestry Ministry’s law enforcement division,” LP2LH head Tri Joko said.

Just last week, the ministry sealed a palm oil plantation belonging to PT Mega Anugerah Sawit (MAS), one of the 19 land concessions in Indonesia that the ministry sealed this year.

MAS owns 1,005 hectares of land, 300 ha of which was burned.

The ministry has sealed 2,209 hectares of concession land in the country.

Environmentalists have requested the government to not use the word “disaster” when referring to forest fires because it absolves guilt on any condition.

“Forest and land fires often happen because of human errors, only a few of them were naturally occurring,” People’s Justice Foundation director and environmentalist Musri Nauli said. (ami)