REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, TANJUNGPINANG -- Thick smog from burning forests in Riau had been polluting the air of Singapore. Forecaster of Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics (BMKG) Tanjungpinang Riau, Ardhito, said the pollution also had interfere the flight.
"This morning, the visibility was only 2,500 meters. It had been disrupting flights and transportation," he said, in Tanjungpinang, Thursday (10/9).
Ardhito argued, smog from Riau also polluted the air of Malaysia. However, the conditions in Malaysia were much better than in Singapore. In general, visibility in Malaysia due to thick smog from Riau reached 10 kilometers. But in Johor, Malaysia, which was closer to the Riau, the visibility reached only 4,000 meters.
"In Kuala Lumpur airport, the visibility are still good. It reached 10 kilometers," he added.
While, the visibility in Pekanbaru was only 2,000 meters. The smog were coming from forest fires in Rengat and Keritang, Riau.
"There were five fires in the area. The smog in Singapore didn't come from Kalimantan, but from Riau" he said.
Ardhito explained, BMKG Tanjungpinang monitored the weather by using Himawari 8 satellite. From the monitoring, smog from Riau are potentially polluting the air of Singapore.