NOAA Detects 176 Hotspots In Sumatra

Pekanbaru, Riau, Sept 11 (Antara) - The NOAA 18 satellite on Wednesday detected 176 hotspots across Sumatra Island, which were predicted as forest fires, as compared to 96 hotspots recorded during the previous day. "We will extinguish the fires immediately, if the hotspots found by NOAA are forest fires," Chief of Riau Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency Said Saqlul Amri stated during a press release received here on Wednesday evening. The agency noted that hundreds of hotspots were spread across several provinces of Sumatra including Jambi, South Sumatra, and Riau. According to the agency, 20 hotspots were found in Riau Province, which comprised 13 hotspots in Indragiri Hulu District, three in Pelalawan District, two in Indragiri Hilir and one each in Kuantan Singingi and Kampar Districts. Amri affirmed that his institution continues to monitor the hotspots, which are predicted as forest fires. The agency claimed that despite the surfacing of several hotspots, the smog arising from forest and bush fires does not pose any threat to Riau Province. "Riau Province is still safe from the smog disaster despite many hotspots being located there," Amri stated. The NOAA 18 satellite, which belongs to the United States and is operated by Singapore, is capable of detecting hotspots in the area. The government uses the location of hotspots as a reference to handle forest fires. Forest and bushes fires have annually occurred in Riau Province since 1997. The disaster has led to air pollution and smog that have triggered respiratory ailments among the residents of Riau Province.