Indonesia’s airport, schools forced to close due to forest fires
An airport on Sumatra island and schools in some provinces of Indonesia were forced to close on September 13 by smoke from forest fires in the country.
Firemen try to extinguish a fire in Kampar regency of Indonesia's Riau province, on September 13 (Photo: AFP/VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – An airport on Sumatra island andschools in some provinces of Indonesia were forced to close on September 13 bysmoke from forest fires in the country.
Fluctuating visibility that at times was just300m forced airlines to postpone fights to the main airport in Pekanbaru, thecapital of Riau province on Sumatra island. This also led to delays at anairport in Dumai, another city in Riau.
Worsening haze forced many schools in Riau andJambi provinces to shut down. Health offices in both provinces said more than300,000 people have suffered respiratory illnesses since the haze began. Morepeople have also been seeking medical help in recent weeks.
In Pekanbaru, the situation was so serious thatabout 1,000 people prayed for rain with the hope that rain would help stamp outranging forest fires and haze.
The weather agency of Indonesia said parts ofSoutheast Asia, including Indonesia, have experienced dry weather in recentmonths. Burning is usually used by Indonesian people to clear land for oil palmand other crops.
Indonesian authorities have deployed over 9,000people to fight the fires across the country, with more than half of the areain the provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, CentralKalimantan and South Kalimantan./.
Malaysia is planning to seed clouds to make rain as air quality in many areas of the country has reached unhealthy levels due to smog from forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia.
Malaysia has closed hundreds of schools in Sarawak state after air quality dropped due to the ongoing haze, the state Education Department said on September 10.
Thousands of people in Indonesia prayed for rain in haze-hit towns throughout Sumatra and Borneo islands as forest fires raged at the height of the dry season, Antara news agency reported on September 11.
As many as 39,277 residents in Riau province in Sumatra Island, Indonesia, have suffered from respiratory problems due to the escalating smoke haze caused by forest fires, according to head of the provincial Health Office Mimi Nazir.
Satellite data on September 12 showed the number of blazes in Indonesia's rainforests has rose sharply, spreading smog across Southeast Asia and adding to concerns about the impact of increasing wildfire outbreaks worldwide on global warming.
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Firemen try to extinguish a fire in Kampar regency of Indonesia's Riau province, on September 13 (Photo: AFP/VNA) 
