Hazy Air from Forest Fires Clearing in Sumatra
8/8/99
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Title: Hazy Air from Forest Fires Clearing in Sumatra
Source: The Associated Press
Status: Copyright 1999, contact source for permission to reprint
Date: August 8, 1999
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - The air was clearing over Riau province on
Sumatra Island on Sunday after forest fires had covered the city in
an unhealthy thick haze for the past several days, officials said.
The smoke, from fires on Sumatra and Borneo, had pushed air pollution
to dangerous levels in Riau, forcing residents to wear masks.
The cloud of smoke slowed shipping traffic through the busy Strait of
Malacca, which separates Sumatra from Singapore and Malaysia.
``The condition is better since Saturday ... only a small number of
people were wearing masks in the morning,'' said Rasidin, an official
at the local meteorology agency. Many Indonesians use only one name.
He said visibility had improved to about a mile, allowing planes to
resume flights to and from Riau's Simpang Tiga airport. The airport
was closed Tuesday when visibility was only about 400 yards.
Residents contacted by telephone in Riau's capital of Pekanbaru, 500
miles northwest of Jakarta, said they have not been able to see the
sun because of the smoke.
Environmentalists have warned that this year's fires could dwarf the
``tragedy'' of 1997, saying at least 441 fires were now burning on
Sumatra and Borneo.
In 1997, blazes on Borneo and Sumatra swept out of control, and a
huge smoke cloud paralyzed the region for several weeks.