Pekanbaru, Riau. Haze from forest and land fires in Riau province has crossed the border into Malaysia, according to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Pekanbaru.

Bibin S, the on-duty forecaster at BMKG Sultan Syarif Kasim II Station in Pekanbaru, said on Saturday that the haze was detected moving northeast, crossing the border and reaching Teluk Kemang, Malaysia.

“Based on the haze dispersion map, the smoke is moving toward Malaysia, although we cannot specify in detail which areas in Malaysia are affected,” Bibin said.

Visual data released by the BMKG shows haze spreading from hotspots across multiple regions in Riau, which are suspected to be the primary sources of the smoke.

Dominant wind patterns across Sumatra and surrounding regions, blowing from the southeast-south toward the northwest-northeast, have accelerated the haze’s movement beyond Riau’s borders. Areas in northern Riau and adjacent waters are experiencing the most direct impacts from the haze.

On Saturday alone, the BMKG detected 259 hotspots indicating forest and land fires across Riau. The highest number was found in Rokan Hulu district with 107 hotspots, followed by 95 in Rokan Hilir. Additional hotspots were detected in Bengkalis (5), Kampar (10), Pelalawan (7), Kuantan Singingi (2), Indragiri Hulu (1), Siak (15), and Dumai City (17).