Air quality hits record low in Indonesian town

JAKARTA: Air quality in parts of Indonesia’s Borneo island hit record lows yesterday as bush fires continued to belch out thick smoke, weather officials said. 

More people sought treatment for breathing problems, residents donned smog masks and flights stayed grounded in an Indonesian town which remained blanketed by choking haze yesterday, officials said. 

 

HELPING HAND . . . a teacher putting a masks on her students at an elementary school in Banjarmasin, Sotuh Kalimantan, Thursday.- AFPpic

In Palangkaraya, the capital of central Kalimantan, many people were staying indoors or wearing surgical face masks to minimise effects of the smoke, said Hidayat from the town’s meteorology department. 

Hidayat, who goes by a single name, said visibility in the town early yesterday was down to about 30m – the worst it has been since the fires began. 

Hidayat said winds were minimal and there was no hope of rain to help clear the sky of the smoke haze from forest and ground fires. 

Most motorcycle riders in the town and some pedestrians wore masks, which were distributed free by Red Cross workers and students. 

Palangkaraya airport has been closed for more than a week. 

Forest and bush fires – set by farmers, plantation owners and loggers to clear land – have burned on Kalimantan and Sumatra since the beginning of August. 

Arnold Singarimbun, who heads the Sylvanus general hospital in Palangkaraya, said the number of in-patients with breathing problems has risen. 

Asthma patients rose from 87 in June to 100 in July and 150 so far this month, he said.  

Patients with other respiratory problems rose from 83 in June to 87 in July and to 93 this month. — Agencies

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