Jakarta,
Oct 4, 2014 (Antara) -- At least six provinces on the Sumatra and Kalimantan
islands have been hit by forest, plantation and peatland fires,
producing haze that has affected the respiratory health of local
residents.
For instance, people in South Kalimantan complained about the strong
odor of the haze that impairs their breathing and vision.
"When we wake up in the morning, we can smell the smoke inside our
house. A thin haze enters the house when we open our doors and windows,"
Wita, a housewife in Banjarbaru, said on Thursday (Oct 2).
She added that the smoky haze was taking a toll on the health of the
public in Banjarbaru, and had also reduced visibility to just 50 or 100
meters.
Dendy, a motorist, stated, "The smell (of the haze) is strong.
Motorists have to drive slowly as it irritates our eyes as well."
Moreover, the Banjarbaru health office has planned to distribute 1,500 masks to protect people from the haze caused by forest and land fires, especially those who are engaged in outdoor activities.
Moreover, the Banjarbaru health office has planned to distribute 1,500 masks to protect people from the haze caused by forest and land fires, especially those who are engaged in outdoor activities.
According to the head of the health office, Agus Widjaya, the
distribution of anti-haze masks to the public was necessary as the city
had been enveloped in thick haze for the last two days.
"Due to the presence of the thick haze, we have urged people to avoid
all outdoor activities and wear masks, both inside and outside their
homes," he suggested.
Martapura, another city in South Kalimantan, has also been shrouded by
thick haze from the forest and plantation fires for the past three days.
A local resident, Nurdin, pointed out that on Saturday morning, the
haze had reduced visibility in the city to 100 to 200 meters and to just
50 meters in suburban areas.
"Visibility is better downtown than in the suburban villages of Dalam
Pagar and Telok Selong, where it is less than 50 meters," he remarked,
adding that it had also affected the respiratory health of local
residents and caused eye irritations.
According to the head of the Banjar Environmental Office, Farid
Soufian, six integrated haze emergency command posts have been set up in
five fire-prone sub-districts to prevent the occurrence of wild fires.
Special attention is being paid to Gambut (peat) sub-district where
local farmers often set fires to clear land for farming.
Moreover, as many as 32 hotspots of wild fires were detected in Banjar district in South Kalimantan in September.
"The hotspots were found in the sub-districts of Simpang Empat, Gambut
Kertak Hanyar, Tatah Makmur, Beruntung Baru and Martapura," Head of the
Banjar Disaster Mitigation Office Noor Sunarto said on Saturday (October
4).
At least 24 hectares of land comprising forests, farms, gardens and bushes have been razed by the fires.
Due to the forest and plantation fires, Banjar District Head Khairul
Saleh has declared a state of emergency as a result of the choking
presence of haze till October 15.
Furthermore, the neighboring province of Central Kalimantan has been
shrouded by haze for the last two months. As a result, the number of
people suffering from acute respiratory infections in the district of
East Kotawaringin (Kotim) in the province has increased significantly.
"During July-September, more than 2,500 residents of East Kotawaringin
district in Central Kalimantan suffered from respiratory infections due
to the haze," an officer at the Kotim health office, Subagyo, said on
Thursday (October 2), adding that most of the patients were infants.
In 2013, some 8,853 people in Kotim were diagnosed with respiratory
problems. This number rose to 9,2017 from January to September this
year, Subagyo pointed out.
The health office received this data from the 20 community health
centers (Puskesmas) located in 17 sub-districts in Kotim.
Face masks have been sent to those Puskesmas to be distributed to the local residents.
Visibility in Kotawaringin Timur district dropped to just 30 meters on
September 30 as a result of the thick haze engulfing the area.
"I had to ride my motorcycle slowly due to the thick haze," Ayu, a local student, said.
Most locals have been wearing face masks to avoid inhaling the haze.
Many have also started using helmet visors as the thick haze can trigger
eye irritation.
According to www.lung.org, wildfires are an ongoing concern in places
with dry, hot weather. During a wildfire, people in the surrounding
areas could suffer from the effects the smoke from the fires.
"If you have respiratory problems such as asthma, emphysema and
bronchitis, or a chronic heart disease, we urge you to monitor your
breathing and exposure to airborne matter. If problems develop, call
your physician immediately," the website advised.
In such a situation, www.lung.org suggested staying indoors and avoiding reliance on dust masks.
Ordinary dust masks will not help as they are designed to filter out
large particles and still allow the more dangerous smaller particles to
pass through.
Extra precautions should be taken to prevent children from smoke
inhalation because their respiratory systems are still developing and
they breathe in more air---which consequently means more pollution---per
pound of body mass than adults, the website wrote.
Recently, Indonesian Health Minister Nafsiah Mboi urged the public to
protect themselves from the dangers of the smoke from forest fires in
Sumatra and Kalimantan.
"The smoke causes pollution and affects breathing and vision," Mboi stated.
Moreover, in a bid to extinguish the forest and plantation fires, the
National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) has planned to seed
clouds to create artificial rain, BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho
revealed recently.
He explained that the BNPB coordinated with the Agency for Assessment
and Application of Technology (BPPT), which will continue with
artificial rain operations till October. ***3***
(f001/INE/B003)
(f001/INE/B003)
No comments:
Post a Comment