[Kabar-indonesia] Haze-induced respiratory cases on rise in Riau, Jambi: Doctors

[Joyo at aol.com]

The Jakarta Post
Monday, October 9, 2006

Haze increasing respiratory cases, doctors say 

Fadli and Jon Afrizal, The Jakarta Post, Batam, Jambi

The worsening haze blanketing several western provinces in the country has 
increased respiratory illnesses in the Riau Islands and Jambi provinces, health 
officials say.

Batam Hospital director Nenden Komariah told The Jakarta Post on Saturday the 
hospital treated 35 people from Monday to Saturday for breathing 
difficulties. 

On smog-free days about 20 people week sought treatment for respiratory 
problems, Nenden said. 

She feared the numbers would increase if the pollution continued to blanket 
the city. 

During the same period, about 150 people sought treatment for breathing 
problems at health centers in Riau's Batamindo Industrial Estate, health officials 
said. 

In Jambi, 933 patients, many of them children, were treated for respiratory 
ailments at one clinic in September. Nurhadaih, a doctor of the community 
center, said about 100 of the patients had acute pneumonia. 

In the first week of this month, 197 people had sought treatment for 
breathing difficulties, she said. Nurhadaih did not have available data on previous 
months' infections. 

"Children are the most prone to the worsening haze," Nurhadaih said. This is 
because children's immunity systems are not as strong as adults, she said. 

Batamindo Industrial Estate general manager Jhon Sulistiawan said the estate 
had distributed 30,000 breathing masks to factory workers, and motorcycle 
taxi, bus and minivan drivers in the area. 

"The haze problem has not disturbed the operation of factories here. We have 
distributed masks to all factory workers," Jhon said. 

Meanwhile, Batam Health Office head Puardi Djarius claimed the worsening haze 
in Batam had not affected the community's general health. 

"The current condition is not as bad as in 1997, when the nearby Hang Nadim 
Airport was closed for three days (because of poor visibility)," Puardi said. 

Data at the Batam Meteorology and Geophysics Agency showed the daily 
visibility in Batam ranged from 1.5 to 3 kilometers. 

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration satellite images show around 
750 hot spots in South Sumatra, Jambi and Lampung, up from only 100 in 
previous weeks. 

"The number of the hot spots tends to fluctuate," the agency's Herry Saroso 
said Saturday. 

On the Musri River in Palembang, South Sumatra, a ship carrying tons of 
fertilizer hit four other vessels in poor visibility Friday, with one boat sinking. 
No one was hurt in the accident. 

"The haze was so thick during the incident that it was difficult for the 
ship's captain to navigate," said a witness, Irwan. 

Khairul Saleh contributed to this article from Palembang, South Sumatra. 

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Joyo Indonesia News Service
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