More than 300,000 People in Riau Affected by Respiratory Infection

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

A child with a respiratory disorder is given help at the children social rehabilitation house in Rumbai, Pekanbaru, Riau, Wednesday (18/9/2019). The house, which is equipped with oxygen tools, accommodated residents suffering from respiratory disorders due to thick haze.

PEKANBARU, KOMPAS – Smoke from forest and peatland fires has caused 304,994 people to suffer from acute respiratory infections (ISPA) between January and Sept. 17.

In September alone, 24,589 people were affected by the respiratory infection. Riau is among areas most affected by the smoke.

"During the first week of September, the number of patients with ARI (acute respiratory infection) in Riau totaled 4,306 people. However, in just 10 days, the number increased by around 20,000 people," the head of the Riau health office, Yuliani Nasir said in Pekanbaru, Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the thick smoke still covered Pekanbaru with particulate parameters (PM 10) above 300 micrograms per cubic meter which is very dangerous to human health.

A similar condition also occurred in the Riau Islands province which was covered by smoke coming from other parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Air quality and visibility in seven regencies/cities dropped sharply. The Riau Islands\' geographical position between Sumatra and Kalimantan makes the area exposed to smoke from two directions. Natuna and Anambas districts are exposed by smoke from Kalimantan, while five other districts /cities are exposed to smoke from other parts of Sumatra.

KOMPAS/HERU SRI KUMORO

Thick haze shrouds the city of Pekanbaru, Riau, at 8 a.m., Wednesday (18/9/2019). The thick haze, caused by forest and peatland fires, led to poor visibility and forced people to wear masks outside.

The acting governor of Riau Islands, Isdianto, said the pollutant standard index in the morning was at a very unhealthy level. The air concentration or particulate parameters (PM 10) in Batam reached 226 micrograms per cubic meter at its peak.

In Singapore, as reported by Kompas reporter Helena F. Nababan, haze enveloped the city. There was the smell of smoke everywhere . People continued working, with some using masks, others not. People crowded the bus station and terminal as usual.

For example, Tan Ah Hyat, 45, a cleaning service worker at the Jurong East Bus Terminal continued to work even though smoke blanked Singapore. "The smoke this time is worse than a few years ago," Hyat said.

Singapore’s Ministry of Education announced it would close all schools if the air quality deteriorated.

Kalimantan

According to data from the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), as of Sept. 18, there were 2,719 hot spots in Indonesia, down from 5,115 hot spots in Sept. 14.  An emergency alert status has been imposed in all provinces hit by forest and land fires, such as Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.

KOMPAS/EMANUEL EDI SAPUTRA

A resident with a respiratory disorder is given help at the oxygen house, Pontianak vity, West Kalimantan, Wednesday (18/9/2019).

The area affected by fires during January-August 2019 reached 328,724 hectares. In Central Kalimantan, data from the local BNPB office indicated that the particulate matter (PM 10) in Palangkaraya city reached 1,939 micrograms per cubic meter, exceeding the normal limit of 150 micrograms per cubic meter.

"The people affected by respiratory infections were mostly by children and toddlers," said the head of the disease control program of  the Central Kalimantan health office,  Endang Sri Lestari. From July to September 2019, as many as 22,000 people suffered respiratory infection  due to forest and land fires.

The people who live in the midst of the haze cannot do much. Rafi, 7, who lives in a wooden stilt house on Jalan Mahir-Mahar, Palangkaraya city, for example, has a three-day school holiday due to haze.

Last Wednesday, he helped his father, Ahmad, 26, put out the fire. "During the night, it was difficult to breathe due to smoke. The smoke entered the house, "said Rafi.

In Pontianak, government offices and agencies under the West Kalimantan provincial office organized prayers to ask for rain.

Responding to forest and land fires, the governments in areas affected by forest and land fires have been urged to take harsh disciplinary measures again those involved in starting the fires.  In Padang, hundreds of students went to the West Sumatra governor\'s office. In Balikpapan, the police named 10 suspects in forest and land fires.

(SAH/NDU/ITA/IDO/CIP/ESA/RAM/ICH/INA/KOR/JOL)

KOMPAS/EMANUEL EDI SAPUTRA

Civil servants from the provincial government of West Kalimantan, along with representatives of regional organizations, pray for rain. The prayers were held in the courtyard of the governor\'s office of West Kalimantan, Wednesday (18/9/2019).