Indonesian Deputy Environment Minister faces health issues after battling forest fires

JAKARTA - Indonesia’s Deputy Environment and Forestry Minister Alue Dohong is facing health issues after his involvement in combating forest and land fires in Kalimantan.

Alue, 57, was on the ground in the fire-affected areas since last Friday until Tuesday, assisting with the extinguishing of fires in the Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan regions.

"My body grew tired, and I collapsed. Last night, I went to the hospital after experiencing a headache, high fever, stomach pain, and cough,” he posted on official social media account on Wednesday.

Doctors at Banjarbaru Hospital, South Kalimantan, recommended that Alue rest and pay special attention to his lungs, suspected to be affected by excessive inhalation of peat soil smoke.

"Based on the doctor’s assessment, his condition is stable. He visited for outpatient services,” according to the hospital’s spokesperson Eva, as quoted by the news portal Tribunnews today.

Kalselpos news portal reported that the forest and land fires in South Kalimantan, which have persisted for several months, are continuing to spread, impacting over 24,000 hectares of land.

In another development, the Banjarmasin authorities have allocated four days for schools to implement remote learning, ending on Oct 7, in response to the haze caused by the forest and land fires. - BERNAMA