Take precautions, govt advises public

By KRISTIAN DAVE ACHONDO
Desk Editor
and SHIELA MAE BUTLIG
Correspondent

AUTHORITIES have called on the public to take precautionary measures as thick haze resulting from hellish forest fires in Indonesia shrouded this city and other Mindanao areas starting last week.

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), through the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), advised citizens to avoid hazards brought about by the smog from Indonesia.

The Pagasa station in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental, earlier confirmed that the smog was bringing in “solid tiny particles.”

Last week, flights from and to the airports in General Santos and Cotabato cities were cancelled because of low visibility.

The Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) has issued an advisory even as it discouraged people from going outdoors.

Vicente Malano, Pagasa acting administrator, said recent observations showed that thick smaze was observed in Mindanao and some Visayan islands. He said a wind analysis using the Singapore-based Haze Information Portal of the Asean Specialized Meteorological Center suggests that equatorial winds enhanced by typhoon Lando caused the smog from Indonesia to drift over to the country.

Malano said Pagasa would continue to monitor the haze, and it would keep the public updated.

In the advisory, Fernando Vincent Dy Jr., head of the capitol’s disaster risk reduction and management group, said people should stay indoors as much as possible, and use N95 masks when going outside.

People were also advised to:

• minimize intake of coffee and alcohol to avoid throat irritation;
• eat lots of citrus fruits and other supplements containing Vitamin C;
• drink lots of water to flush away irritants that gets into the airways;
• when outdoor air quality worsens, close doors and windows, and reduce outdoor physical activities to minimize exposure to dust particles caused by the haze;
• maintain a dust-free environment in households and offices by using the wet-cleaning method on surfaces.

The capitol advisory encouraged people to use wet mops or cloths, discouraged them from vacuum-cleaning. It said fans or air conditioners may be used for better air circulation.