Smog Covers Dumai City, Riau

Dumai, Riau, June 5 (Antara) - Thick smog covered Dumai city affecting the visibility in the city`s main roads as low as 200 meters on Wednesday at around 10 am local time. The heavy smog affected the people`s daily activity especially those riding motorcycles due to the low visibility. Nofri, a local resident, said he was forced to wear protective face masks when taking his children to school and going for work. "I don`t want the smog affecting my respiratory, I and my children must put on protective masks before riding on my motorcycle," Nofri said. Nofri urged the government to deal with the smog immediately because the haze could affect people`s respiratory. Another resident, Ilham, said he had to cancel his appointment to ride out into the city due to the smog, although it was gradually thinning. According to Ilham, the smog likely came from forest and plantation fires around Dumai-Rokan Hilir district border area.