Indonesia's West Sumatra steps up monitoring as haze blankets parts of province

Smoke haze in Kiliran Jao, Dharmasraya, West Sumatra. Kompas.

PADANG, Indonesia, Sept 3 (TokoKata) — The government of Indonesia's West Sumatra province has stepped up efforts to assess worsening air quality as thick haze blankets parts of the region, with several areas sending students home because of concerns over the impact on health.

West Sumatra Governor Mahyeldi Ansharullah said he had instructed the provincial disaster management agency, BPBD, to assess the thickness of the haze and evaluate air quality across the province.

"I have instructed the Regional Disaster Management Agency to conduct an evaluation and assess the level of haze in West Sumatra," Mahyeldi said.

The governor also highlighted measures taken by neighbouring districts, including Dharmasraya and Sijunjung, where students have been sent home as authorities seek to reduce their exposure to deteriorating air quality.

The provincial government is assessing further measures based on monitoring by the BPBD, which is coordinating with district heads and mayors across West Sumatra.

Initial monitoring indicated that the haze affecting West Sumatra was likely drifting from forest and land fires in neighbouring provinces, making efforts to contain fires at their sources particularly important, Mahyeldi said.

"These fires are currently occurring in neighbouring provinces. There needs to be firmness and more intensive efforts so they do not affect other regions or disrupt people's activities," he said.

Within West Sumatra, the provincial forestry agency was continuing to closely monitor fire hotspots and extinguish any potential forest and land fires, officials said.

The haze has also raised concerns in the provincial capital Padang, where air quality was considered to be deteriorating.

The provincial government has left decisions on measures in Padang and other areas to local authorities, urging mayors and district heads to continuously evaluate conditions in their respective regions.

Work-from-home plan under review

A proposal to introduce work-from-home arrangements for civil servants because of the haze was also being considered, although the provincial government had not made a specific decision to implement the policy outside existing schedules.

"We will see. Hopefully it will not happen," Mahyeldi said.

Authorities are expected to base further measures on the results of air-quality monitoring and developments in the haze situation.