NOAA DETECTS 12 HOT SPOTS IN RIAU

Pekanbaru, Riau Province, Feb. 12 (ANTARA) - The NOAA-18 satellite has detected 12 hot spots of forest fires in several areas in Riau Province, according to the Pekanbaru meteorological and geophysics office (BMG).

"Based on the latest monitoring of NOAA-18 satellite images, there are 12 hot spots in Riau," Slamet Riyadi, an analyst of the Pekanbaru BMG, said here on Thursday.
The hot spots were found in Bengkalis District (seven hot spots), Pelelawan District (four), and Dumai City (one), he said.
He explained that in every hot spot, between 50 and 60 hectares of forest area were razed by fire.
He called on local farmers not to set fire in forest areas for opening of new plantation or farming areas as the weather in Riau was quite hot at present and rain would not come in the near future.