The Smoke Invasion

This smoke has reached an area on a Padang Island where I was supervising a hydrocarbon well production test. The area itself, as of the time of this writing is done, is still under siege by filth-ridden smoke generated by large fire outbreak on the several marsh areas around the site. The smoke from the nearby areas and the smoke coming from across the Lalang Strait (the strait that separates Padang Island and Sumatra Island) meet at the well sites, personnel camps, and central offices. Not to mention that on the island, there are several flare stacks that has been burning gas and churning out smokes and can contribute to the smog.

This gathering of hazardous filth-ridden smoke has been creating problems for the people around Padang Island. One of the problems is heavy smog hovering on the areas during night and morning time. The smog hovers because cold temperature causes the air to be heavier and make the water and solid particles it carried to go to lower parts of the atmosphere. When it can't go lower, it will stay on the ground level and causing the smog. Because of its nature of carrying solid particles, the smog is hazardous to breathing health of people unfortunate enough to be on the island. This writer is one of the unfortunates, and I have been reluctant to go outdoor due to this health attacking phonemenon.

Another problem is related to traffic of vehicles. Many vehicles serving the island and its inhabitants are speed boats and LCT ships. Those two type of marine transports rely heavily on visual clearance. The smog, with its heavy density and colloidal natures, deters the visual clearance and can cause accidents if the marine transports are not careful when threading the violent current of the strait. This smog will also cause the marine transports to go slower and thus dragging down the overall speed of activities of the island.

There are many problems caused by the smog and fire hotspots that caused them. Resources are being spent to put out the fires. Helicopters are rented by the government to locate and identitify hotspots; water-bomber planes are rented to help snuff out the fires; and firemen from the company and from the government are working overtimes to combat marsh fires that can occur repeatedly even when they have been snuffed out.

I will write a separate article on marshes around the Island and the fires that can appear repeatedly during "fire seasons".

For now, if not put ouf fast and in short times, the fire and smog will cause many losses especially financial and health-related losses.