Jakarta, March 6 (Antara) - Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan has warned
Riau Province's local authorities about the possibility of protracted
haze in the current dry season, as it could pose a danger to people's
health and the economy.
The haze problem in Riau has caused the death of a victim, while smoke
still continues to blanket parts of the province, while the dry season
is expected to peak in June and July.
At least four flights were delayed on Thursday due to thick haze that
still shrouded Sultan Syarif Kasim II (SSK II) airport. Visibility had
dropped to a dangerous level for an airplane.
According to SSK II airport authority, four flights that were scheduled
to arrive had to be rerouted to Batam's Hang Nadim Airport. "We averted
four flights as visibility this morning dropped to a dangerous level of
only 500 meters," SSK II Duty Manager Hasnan said on Thursday.
The haze that disturbed flights and people's activities has been occurring for several weeks.
Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan asked the local government on
Wednesday to be serious in handling the smoke problem and try to prevent
the repetition of last year's incident, when the President had to offer
an apology to neighboring countries for the smog from Riau.
The intensity of haze was felt since Monday.
Thick haze from land fires has covered the Dumai City in the Riau
Province on Monday morning, decreasing visibility to about 50 meters.
"The quality of air on Monday morning was at a dangerous level for the
people and the environment, with the Air Pollution Standard Index rising
to more than 700 PSI. The incident could easily be the worst haze
disaster in 2014," stated Chief of Health Sub-official for Dumai City
Marjoko Santoso.
Marjoko explained that the quality of air in Dumai is worsening and
causing people to worry. Thousands of citizens in Dumai are suffering
from breathlessness and soreness of eyes and throats.
It was reported that one victim had died due to illness caused by haze.
The Ministry of Social Affairs will compensate a haze victim who dies
in the Riau province, according to the National Disaster Mitigation
Agency (BNPB) head Syamsul Maarif.
"The amount of the compensation will be decided later after
coordinating with the local government," the BNPB chairman said here on
Thursday.
Syamsul Maarif made the remarks at a press conference held in a haze
Task Force Command Post at the Roesmin Nurjadin airport.
Previously, it was reported that the number of patients admitted at the
Selasih Regional Public Hospital (RUSD) in Pangkalan Kerinci in
Pelalawn last month was not large.
However, one of them has reportedly died after suffering from a
haze-related disease. The identity of the victim is yet to be disclosed.
The task force workers said that previously the victim had a lung
problem so when inhaling the haze-polluted air the victim's lung illness
became worse and led to his death.
The BNPB said the incident showed that haze could lead to death, which
was why the government continued to make efforts to prevent haze by
deploying its entire strength to put out hotspots from forest and land
fires.
Early
this month, it was reported that more than 28,000 people were suffering
from various smoke-related diseases, due to forest and land fires
occurring over the past five weeks in the Riau Province.
Riau Province's Health Service released statistics on the latest number of people affected by haze, here on Saturday.
According to the health service, 27,000 people were suffering from
upper respiratory tract infections, 1,365 from skin diseases, 1,031 from
asthma, 724 from eye irritations and 516 from chronic pneumonia.
"They are residents of Pekanbaru City where 6,543 are suffering from
upper respiratory tract infections, 118 from pneumonia, 370 from asthma,
70 have eye irritations and 353 are being treated for eye diseases,"
Riau Province's Health Service Head Zainal Arifin said.
In Rokan Hilir District, 6,892 are suffering from upper respiratory
tract infections, 27 from pneumonia, 54 from eye diseases, and 83 have
skin problems.
Others are residents of Siak District, where 2,283 have upper
respiratory tract problems, 62 are suffering from pneumonia, 86 from
asthma, 92 have eye irritations and 158 from skin irritations.
In Bengkalis District, the haze has caused upper respiratory tract
infections in 2,194, pneumonia in 52, 46 suffer from asthma, 54 have eye
irritations and 86 with skin diseases.
"This number can still continue to increase," Zainal Arifin noted.
Reports
have it on Feb 24 that the number of upper respiratory tract infection
cases due to haze pollution in the Riau Province has increased from 15
thousand to 20 thousand.
"The data on the number of upper respiratory tract infection sufferers
has been collected from various districts in the province since January
this year," Zainal Arifin stated.
He noted that in January, the number of people suffering from
respiratory infections was five thousand. However, the number spiraled
to 15.2 thousand last week and further rose to the current figure of 20
thousand.
Arifin
claimed that this number excluded those suffering from other
haze-related ailments, such as skin irritations and eye irritations,
among others.
Syamsul
Maarif stated earlier that some 99 percent of forest and plantation
fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan were deliberately set.
"There
should be sanctions to stop recurrences. Slash-and-burn farming methods
exist in Sumatra and Kalimantan, but it is important that this should
be controlled," Syamsul Maarif noted.
In Riau alone, over the past four weeks, about 10,502 hectares of land
across various districts in the Riau Province were burnt, causing thick
haze over the area and disturbing daily life there, the BNPB stated.
"The area that has the most burned land is the Bengkalis district with
4,518 hectares, followed by the Meranti Island with 3,498 hectares and
Dumai city with 702 hectares," Chief of Special Forces handling the haze
Brigadier Prihadi Agus Irianto stated here on Tuesday.
According to him, there are chances that the land fire in the Riau
Province will get worse and hence the local authority plan to extinguish
the fire through artificial rain and helicopters carrying water.
In the meantime, a Riau climatology official emphasized that the haze
in the province will not disperse to Singapore and Malaysia, although a
total of 1,234 hotspots had previously been detected.
Ardhitama, an analyst from the local Meteorology, Climatology and
Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Pekanbaru, explained that the smoke produced
by the hotspots in the region will only pollute the air around the
province.
He noted that winds blowing during the current dry season in Riau
originated from the north and the east directions and were drifting
toward the south, which is in the opposite direction of Singapore and
Malaysia.
The Riau Province has suffered a loss of Rp10 trillion due to haze from
forest and plantation fires, stated Viator Butar, the deputy chairman
of the Riau Chamber of Commerce and Industry's Economic and
International Cooperation Section.
"The Rp10 trillion loss was calculated, among other things, from the
slowdown of business productivity and goods and the public's mobility,
as well as the cancellation or postponement of flights and shipping due
to haze," he explained.***3***
(T.A014/INE)
EDITED BY INE
(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 06-03-2014 22:42 |
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