148 Hot Spots Of Forest Fires Detected In Riau

Pekanbaru, Riau, June 19 (Antara) - An official of the Pekanbaru Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (MBKG) said here on Wednesday that 148 hot spots of forest and plantation fires were detected in Riau Province. "Based on the monitoring by the US NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) satellite, NOAA-18, there are 187 hot spots across Sumatra, and 148 of them are in Riau," Ardhitama, the agency`s forecaster on duty, said. The hot spots were detected across 10 districts and cities in Riau, namely in the districts of Pelalawan (20 hot spots), Rokan Hilir (32), Kampar (seven), Kuantan Sengingi (one), Siak (1), Bengkalis (21), Idnragiri Hulu (eight), Indragiri Hilir (18), Rokan Hulu (23), and Dumai (one). The number of the hot spots in Riau increased to 148 from 106 on the previous day, indicating that the forest and plantation fires in the province has spread to wider area. The fires have produced thick haze covering several cities including Pekanbaru. "The haze is horrible. It has been quite thick since in the morning," Ganda Wibowo, 23, a local resident, said. The haze has caused eye irritation and respiratory problem, he added.