Fires Have Burnt 5.000 Hectares Of Peat Land In Riau

Pekanbaru, Riau, Oct 18 (ANTARA) - The Environmental Board (BLH) of Riau Province said that the acreage of peat land that had been razed by fires in Bengkalis district, Riau province had reached 5,000 hectares.

"About 5,000 hectares of peat land in Bengkalis have been burned by fire," BLH head for Riau Fedrizal Labay said here on Monday.

He said that peat land fires had been taking place over the past two weeks. The widest area affected by the fire is located in Sepahat and Tanjung villages, Bukit Batu sub district, Bengkalis district.

Peat land fires have been taking place in this area every year, he said.