Riau city on highest level haze alert
Riau city on highest level haze alert
11 July 2009
published by www.thejakartapost.com
Indonesia —
Riau province’s city of Dumai has declared a state of highest alert over thickening smog created by the annual burning of forest and land, Antara news agency has reported.
We are also calling out the people to wear face-mask when outdoor and to be cautious of health problem related to the haze, said Dumai deputy mayor Sunaryo on Saturday.
More than 2,600 Dumai residents are suffering from respiratory problem due to thicker haze in the area over the past one month.
Local health agency reported that the number of sufferers had increased significantly, especially among children.
The haze has reduced visibility to only 5 meters and forcing the closure if airports in Pekanbaru and Dumai.