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Baby dies of smog-related illness as tens of thousands more suffer
Visibility is limited to only 500 meters over Kalimantan.
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Peatland burns in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan. Uncontrolled peat fires can spread for kilometers underground and by air, causing a deadly smog. In 2015, this resulted in one of the greatest environmental disasters of the 21st century. (JP/Björn Vaughn)
F
orest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan that have blanketed the provinces with smog for weeks and affected the health of thousands of people in nearby regions, as well as air quality in neighboring countries, took an added toll on Sunday when a 4-month-old infant named Elsa Fitaloka reportedly died of pneumonia and meningitis.
“The haze particles can be the medium to spread the bacteria that can cause the infection,” said the director of Ar-Rasyid Hospital in South Sumatra, Toni Siguntang. The infant had received some medical treatment from the hospital before her condition worsened over the weekend.
The Indonesian Health Ministry recorded that 106,550 patients in Palembang in South Sumatra, 61,147 in Jambi city, 23,324 in Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan patients and 9,512 in Pekanbaru in Riau were suffering from acute respiratory infections (ISPA) caused by the smog produced by fires.
Meanwhile, about 100 flights have been canceled by major airlines such as flag carrier Garuda Indonesia and its low-cost subsidiary Citilink, as well as Lion Air Group’s Lion Air, Wings Air and Batik Air, since visibility in the sky over Kalimantan has since worsened, making flight unfeasible and even downright impossible.
“As of Saturday, the visibility is limited to only 500 meters. Whereas the visibility considered safe for landings is 3,500 meters,” said Bambang Hartanto, the head of Kalimarau Airport in Berau, East Kalimantan.
Separately, President Joko "Jokowi" Widowo, who spoke of the smog crisis on Monday night, said he had ordered that cloud seeding operations be intensified and that all stakeholders need to cooperate to overcome the problem.
Jokowi highlighted the importance in the future of all elements of all administrations being able to detect hot spots early.
