REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PEKANBARU -- The Riau provincial government will extend an alert status of land and forest fires (Karhutla), which will end this month, in order to avoid haze during the Asian Games. The international sports event will be organized in nearby Palembang City, South Sumatra in August.

However, the final decision on alert status will be announced after a meeting on May 25, Edwar Sanger, head of Riau Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) stated in Pekanbaru on Monday. "On May 25, all stakeholders, who are part of the fires prevention task force, will attend a meeting for evaluating the alert status," Sanger stated.

The alert status has been declared since Feb 19 to May 31 during the drought season in Riau Province. Sanger added that the long dry season has led to land and forest fires in the first five months of this year.

Sanger noted that some 1.8 thousand hectare of lands have been burnt during that period.

"According to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), we have now entered the dry season, and the disaster mitigation office has prepared some measures to anticipate the fires," he stressed.

President Joko Widodo himself has asked the Riau provincial government to seriously prevent and contain any fires ahead of Asian Games, he remarked. "This (president's) instruction to extend the alert status of land and forest fires is our top consideration," he emphasized.

Also read: Govt optimistic Asian Games to be free from haze

The task force previously has stated that by May 20, a total of 1,868.96 hectares of land have been burnt, with the largest part situated in Meranti District (896 hectares), followed by Bengkalis District (345 hectares), and Dumai (120.75 hectares).

The Asian Games 2018 will be organized for the first time ever in two cities of Palembang and Jakarta on Aug 18 to Sep 2.

On the upcoming competition, athletes of 45 countries will compete on 40 sport categories, and 10 of them will be organized in Palembang. The 10 sports include soccer, basketball, tennis and soft tennis, volleyball, kayak/canoeing, rowing, shooting, triathlon, sepak takraw, and climbing/bouldering.

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