Indonesian haze reaches Malaysia as forest fires rage in Sumatra
More than 140 forest and peatland fires were reported in the Riau province, according to a senior police officer
Forest and peat fires are an annual problem in Indonesia that strain relations with neighbouring countries. In recent years, smoke from the fires has blanketed parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand.
A number of areas in Indonesia’s Riau province were still covered by thick haze, although choking smoke had not been registered in the provincial capital of Pekanbaru, said Riau deputy police chief Adrianto Jossy Kusumo.
He said more than 140 forest and peatland fires were reported in the province. Rokan Hilir and Rokan Hulu districts were the worst-hit areas by fires that burned about 46 hectares in the two districts, resulting in heavy haze pollution across the area that reduced visibility to as low as one kilometer (half a mile).
The figure for fires was down from 294 hotspots on Saturday after authorities managed to extinguish the fires in several places, Kusumo said.
He said haze has caused the air quality in Riau to worsen, “but overall it has not disrupted people’s lives in other areas of the province.”