Haze from forest fires disrupts flights on Sumatra
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Smog from forest and brush fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island disrupted flights for a second day yesterday,officials said.
On Sunday, 58 fights to and from the Sultan Syarif Kasim airport in Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau province, were cancelled after haze reduced visibility to as low as 500 metres, said Bambang Ervan, spokesman for the Transportation Ministry.
Only five flights managed to take off or land on Sunday, he said.
“The airport has been at the mercy of fluctuating visibility,” Ervan said.
The airport’s duty manager Ibnu Hasan said no flights had landed or departed at the airport since 5am yesterday because visibility was below 1,000 metres. A minimum visibility of 1,600 metres is considered safe for landings and take-offs, Ervan was quoted as saying by the Antara state news agency.
Smog from forest and brush fires on Sumatra island has triggered respiratory problems in more than 30,000 people, an official said last week.
Haze pollution reached hazardous levels in parts of Riau, including the capital Pekanbaru, with visibility at 200 metres, said Sutopo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Management Agency.
“Cases of respiratory infections and other illnesses such as pneumonia, asthma and eye and skin irritations are increasing,” he said.
Smoke from forest fires on Sumatra is an annual dry season hazard that often affects neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.
