Pekanbaru, Riau Province, (Antarariau.com) - A state Islamic Junior High School (MTsN) in Pekanbaru was temporarily closed here on Tuesday as a result of the haze covering the city following the reemergence of hotspots from forest and plantation fires.
"We have decided to send the students back home because the conditions created by the haze are quite worrying," Sofyan, a teacher at MTsN Andalan, said.
Initially, the students had taken classes as usual in the morning, but as the day progressed, the haze had entered the classrooms, and most of the students had started to complain of eye irritation and respiratory problems due to the smog, he stated.
After getting permission from the city's religious affairs office, the school discontinued teaching activities and sent the approximately 600 students to their respective homes.
The haze reduced visibility in Pekanbaru to around 500 meters on Tuesday morning.
The Terra and Aqua satellite has detected 297 hotspots from forest fires throughout the Riau Province, according to the Pekanbaru meteorological, climatology, and geophysics station (BMKG).
"In Sumatra, the highest number of hotspots is still in Riau, with 297 of them, a significant increase from the 37 hotspots seen the previous day," Tri Puryanti, an analyst with the Pekanbaru BMKG, said here on Tuesday.
The hotspots have created a haze that is currently polluting the air of Riau's cities and districts.
Pelalawan District alone has more than 100 hotspots, and others were found in the Indragiri Hulu District, Indragiri Hilir, and Kampar, Puryanti noted.
The fastest and cheapest way to clear new land for planting crops is by burning; however, this practice has been banned by the government.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), quoting NOAA 18 Satellite's data, announced that Riau's 10 districts and cities have a total of 264 hotspots.
Pelalawan District has 76 hotspots, while Indragiri Hulu has 42; Rokan Hilir, 34; Indragiri Hilir, 29; Kampar, 26; Bengkalis, 20; Siak, 11; Rokan Hulu, 8; and Dumai City, 4.
Pekanbaru School Closed Due To Haze
