Thick Haze Covers W Kalimantan's Pontianak City

Pontianak, West Kalimantan, Feb 4 (Antara) - Thick haze has reportedly covered the capital city of West Kalimantan province, Pontianak, on Tuesday, as more peat land area were burnt during the past two days. "I was outside last night and nearly fainted due to the thick haze. My eyes were also sore," a local resident, Yayan (40), complained. According to Yayan, haze had covered Pontianak city during the past two days. The haze got thicker starting 18 hours until midnight. "The haze is also thicker in the morning especially from 6 a.m. to 7.30 a.m., during the time we drive our kids to school," Yayan added. Another local resident, Nana (35), also shared similar concerns, adding that she had to reduce outdoor activities due to the thick haze. According to her, even when she was inside, she could smell the haze. Meanwhile, Pontianak`s Chief of Environmental Protection Body, Imran, stated that the air quality of the city had been categorized as unhealthy due to the thick haze. "According to our observation, the air becomes polluted by the haze especially from the period between 3 a.m. and 7 a.m. and from 6 p.m. until midnight," he explained. He called on the people to use masks whenever outside of their homes. Earlier, the local Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) stated that it had detected 49 hot spots scattered near Pontianak city during the month of January. "The number of hotspots is likely to increase, and the government needs to address this issue immediately," local BMKG`s spokesman Sutikno asserted.