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Pekanbaru is usually a picture-perfect capital city, known as one of the cleanest in Indonesia. But because of the haze caused by forest fires in the island of Sumatra, it has been blanketed in smog the past few weeks. Flights at the airport, normally averaging 20 a day, are now down to only two a day, if at all. An airport official says around 50% of scheduled flights have been cancelled because of poor visibility.
Life in Pekanbaru has rudely interrupted. You hardly see anyone on the streets, and the city hall has been transformed into a hospital ward for sick babies from low-income families. Before we leave, we meet a family mourning a death cauzed by the haze.
Watch Into the Haze: Part One here.
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