Winds Likely to Continue Blowing Haze Towards Singapore and Malaysia

Jakarta, 25 Dzulqa’dah 1437/ August 2016 (MINA) – Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on Saturday (Aug 27) warned that prevailing winds will likely continue to blow smoke from forest fires in the western Riau province in Sumatra eastwards, towards Singapore and Malaysia.

“Satellite monitoring has shown that currently, there is a thick distribution of smoke in the western province of Riau indicating the presence of land fires over a vast area,” CNA quoted the BMKG as saying in a statement.

“With the presence and dominance of winds blowing eastwards, there is an indication that the haze will potentially continue to spread to neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.”

In its statement, the agency added that land and forests in western Sumatra demonstrated the potential to catch fire easily and the territory would need to be monitored. It said controlling the fires will be “difficult to very difficult, especially in the next five days”.

Besides Riau, other territories affected include north Sumatra, Jambi, Aceh, west Sumatra, Bengkulu and parts of south Sumatra. The provinces of western Kalimantan and central Kalimantan could also potentially see an increase in forest fires in the days ahead, according to the statement.

The agency has advised the community to stop burning activities, and urged residents whose provinces are affected by the haze to anticipate and prepare for its impact by wearing masks and staying healthy. (T/R07/R01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)