The Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) announced that 28 hotspots have been detected across Sumatra Island, including seven in Riau Province on Thursday.
“Based on the satellites monitoring on May 7, 2015, at 5 a.m. local time, in Riau, maximum hotspots were detected in Pelalawan and Rokan Hilir districts, Head of the BMKG Pekanbaru Chapter Sugarin stated.
In the province, two hotspots were respectively found in Pelalawan and Rokan Hilir, and one each in Kampar, Indragiri Hilir, and Siak.
The agency had earlier alerted the Riau provincial government regarding the possible re-emergence of forest fires in late May.
“Beginning May, Riau will experience dry season until September 2015,” he remarked.
Wind is forecast to blow from the South to the Northeast and North directions, which implies that the haze originating from forest fires might cross over to neighboring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia.
“If there is haze due to the forest fires, for sure, it will reach the neighboring countries,” he stated.
Therefore, he lauded the Riau provincial government for declaring an emergency status until October 2015 to enable the authorities to implement the necessary measures.
