The figure is based on reports from all public health service posts (Puskesmas) in Pekanbaru City, comprising 3,540 cases recorded in July and 4,205 cases in August
Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA) -
The Pekanbaru City Health Office reported that the number of people suffering from acute respiratory tract infection in the Riau provincial capital between July and August 2019 reached 7,745.

"The figure is based on reports from all public health service posts (Puskesmas) in Pekanbaru City, comprising 3,540 cases recorded in July and 4,205 cases in August," acting chief of the Pekanbaru City Health Office, Muhammad Amin, said in Pekanbaru on Monday.

The increase in the number of those suffering from acute respiratory tract infection in the past couple of months is a result of the haze from land and forest fires in a number of districts and cities in Riau province, as well as in neighboring provinces.

However, the increase is relatively small, at 900 per month compared to more than 3 thousand in August 2018 when no haze was found, he said.

"In August 2019, the number has already reached more than 4 thousand. This means that not all those suffering from acute respiratory tract infection were affected only by the haze," he said.

Visibility in Pekanbaru was curtailed to 1.5 kilometers (km) last Saturday at 8 a.m. local time owing to smog emanating from forest fires in Pelalawan District in particular.

The haze arose from Pelalawan where 102 hotspots were recorded in the morning, Nia Fadhila, analyst at the Pekanbaru meteorology, climatology and geophysics station, stated last Saturday.

Pelalawan is located in the south of Pekanbaru, with the wind blowing from the southeast to the southwest, she explained.

Executive General Manager of SSK II airport, Yogi Prasetyo, noted that in spite of the haze, operations at the Sultan Syarik Kasim II (SSK II) International Airport in Pekanbaru were continuing as usual.

The local residents of Pekanbaru wore masks while venturing outdoors since the city’s air quality remained at an unhealthy level.



Translator: Frislidia/Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2019