Schools In Riau Province Closed Following Worsening Haze

Pekanbaru, Riau, March 10 (Antara) - Schools in Riau province are closed following worsening air pollution caused by the ongoing forest fires, Chief of Education Office of Riau province Zulfadil stated here on Monday. "All schools will be closed until March 12, starting today," Zulfadil noted. Earlier the province`s environmental body stated that the air quality had dropped to dangerous levels during the past two days. In such a situation, residents have been asked not to indulge in outdoor activities. According to Antara`s observation, thick haze is still covering most of the areas in Riau province`s capital city Pekanbaru. Visibility is recorded at one thousand meters only. Data from the Special Task Force handling haze stated that thick haze also covers Bengkalis district and Siak district. The air pollution in both the areas are on a dangerous level. About 40 thousand people suffer from respiratory infection due to the haze in Riau Province. Up till now forest fires are still happening in the area with over 14 thousand hectares of land burnt so far.