Pekanbaru, Riau (Antara Babel) - The number of hot spots from forest and plantation fires across Sumatra increased from 118 to 227 on Sunday.
Of the total, 159 hot spots were detected in Riau Province, a significant increase from 95 hot spots on Sutarday, Warih Lestari, of the local meteorological, climatology, and geophysics agency (BMKG), said here on Monday.
Based on the monitoring by NOAA satellite on Sunday, the 227 hot spots were found in the provinces of Riau (159), West Sumatra (21), South Sumatra (15), North Sumatra (12), Jambi (11), Bengkulu (six), and Aceh (three).
In Riau, the hot spots were detected among other things in Rokan Hulu District (41), Pelalawan (35), Siak (22), Bengkalis (11), Kuantan Singingi (11), Kampar (nine), Rokan Hulu (eight), Indragiri Hulu (eight), Dumai (seven), and Indragiri Hilir (five).
High temperature on Sunday triggered more hot spots in Sumatra, he said.
Riau has lately experienced extreme hot weather with above normal temperature, according to Lestari.
Forestry Minister Zulkifli Hasan recently said the government would not tolerate companies burning land and bushes that caused haze to shroud Riau and its surrounding.
"Companies which are proved to have practiced slash-and-burn activities and caused land and forest fires will be acted upon firmly. There will be no compromise," the minister said when attending a function to see off a land and forest fire extinguisher team in Dumai, Riau, on Saturday.
He said that the government was now concentrating on putting out land and forest fires under the coordination of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). The agency team is composed of members from relevant ministries.