HOTSPOTS DETECTED IN 10 DISTRICTS IN RIAU PROVINCE

Pekanbaru, Riau, June 6 (ANTARA) - At least ten regions in Riau province are now experiencing forest and land fires, a climatological official said.

Slamet Riyadi of Riau office of the Climatological, Geophysical and Meteorological Agency (BMKG) said here on Saturday that according to the NOAA satellite 18 monitoring, at least 39 hot spots were detected in ten regions.

He said that the ten regions were the districts of Pelalwan with nine hot spots, Rokan Hulu with five hot spots, Indragiri Hulu with four hot spots, Bengkalis with two hot spots, Kampar with two hot spots, Bengkalis with one hot spot, Kuantan Singgingi with one hot spot, Siak with one hot spot and Indragiri Hilir one hot spot.

The other hot spots were found in the district of Rokan Hilir with 13 spots.

On Thursday, seven hots pots were detected in several regions in the province.

Based on the data of the US NOAA 18 satellite, of 35 hotspots detected on Sumatra Island, 17 were in Riau, Ardhitama, a analysis staff of the local BMKG, said.

The number of the hot spots in Riau decreased from 40, which had earlier detected as indicators of plantation and forest fires, he said.

The 17 hot spots were located at the districts of Bengkalis (five hot spots), Rokan Hilir (five), Pelalawan (two), Siak (two), Rokan Hulu (one), Kampar (one), and Dumai city (one), he said.

The temperature in Riau was between 32 and 33 degrees Celsius, he said.

According to the BMKG forecast, there was a slim chance for raining in Riau and the drought level was quite extreme.

Therefore, BMKG urged local farmers not to set fire in forest or plantation areas in order to prevent haze.

At the end of last month, dry air triggered at least 350 hot spots which were detected on Sumatra Island, including in West Sumatra.

The hot spots have produced haze covering the province. A number of elementary schools were closed due to haze covering Rokan Hilir, Riau Province, because the haze could affect the health of school children.***3***