Medan, N Sumatra (ANTARA) - Twenty-six hotspots have been detected in several parts of North Sumatra province by Sensor Modis NOAA20, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported on Monday.
The hotspots have been identified in eight districts — five in Mandailing Natal, two in Tapanuli Selatan, one in Tapanuli Tengah, one in Tapanuli Utara, three in Toba Samosir, 10 in Dairi, one in Karo, and three in Sibolga, the BMKG Office in Medan said in a written statement released on Monday.
The BMKG has forecast light rains in several areas on the eastern slope, eastern coast, western coast, and the North Sumatra mountain range from Monday afternoon to night.
The agency has also predicted that temperature will remain in a range of 25-34 degrees Celsius, air humidity will be 65-95 percent, with winds blowing from the north to the northeast at a speed of 5-25 kilometers per hour.
Related news: Satellites identify 23 hotspots of forest fires in North Sumatra
In the year ending February 13, 2021, fires gutted 55.71 hectares of land and forests in neighboring Riau province.
During the period, 45 hotspots were detected in the districts of Siak, Bengkalis, and Rokan Hilir (Rohil), and Dumai city.
The 55.71 hectares of land and forests that were razed by the fires comprised 33 hectares of land in Siakt, 17.7 hectares in Bengkalis, 5 hectares in Rokan Hilir, and 0.01 hectare in Dumai, head of the Riau Provincial Natural Disaster Mitigation Agency, Edwar Sanger, said recently .
He said the area gutted by the fires showed a decline compared to the same period last year, when the figure was recorded at 284.57 hectares. (INE)
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