Smoke from Forest and Land Fires Shrouds the Ampera Bridge; Rickshaw Pullers Suffer

Smoke fires and land covering Palembang City, South Sumatera, Tuesday. The Ampera Bridge, even lost in a dense smoke.

Visibility downtown is only 20 meters. The strong smoke smelled like it was covering the Musi River.

This condition felt Horijon (54), a rickshaw puller who has been denied for 20 years under the Ampera Bridge. Horijon claimed it was difficult to attract passengers during the smoke on Palembang.

"This smoke fog is very dense sir, a lonely pull, people fear to leave the house. A day only gets 15 grand, sometimes comes home with no money for kids at home," Horijon says.

Normally, Horijon can bring home Rp100,000 a day to eat family. But since the last week-long smoke fog, it's been a tough Rp15,000.

Horijon is not the only one. Thousands of Palembang residents are now standing in the middle of a smog with an ISPU standard index reported penetrating over 500 or dangerous categories.

"School boy is off by smoke fog," said Horijon.

Residents assessed the weather modification operation by spreading the government's dry ice just eliminating the fog a day, and then the fog came in deeper.

"People look like they've got a prank. Already on dry ice, gone one day, the next thicker," says one citizen.