Thick haze paralyses schools, airports in Sumatra, Kalimantan
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Haze in Indonesia has blanketed many southern provinces of Thailand including Songkhla.
In Hat Yai district of Songkhla, the level of dust with a particle size smaller than 10 micrometres (PM10) was 123 micrograms per cubic metre yesterday morning.
That was slightly beyond the safety level of 120mcg.
Hat Yai Municipality Mayor Prai Pattano therefore advised residents to avoid outdoor activities, while urging people to wear facemasks, especially those suffering from respiratory illnesses and allergies.
The Jakarta Post reported Thursday that thick haze caused by land and forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan has forced authorities on the two islands to shut down schools temporarily and delay or cancel flights on safety concerns.
In Riau, the Pekanbaru municipal administration on Wednesday decided to close down schools until yesterday in response to everthicker haze that has blanketed the city over the past few days.
Fuad Jabbar, a highschool student in Pekanbaru, expressed relief that students were finally sent home, saying that he had been suffering from a cough for the past week.
“My nose hurts and it’s hard to breathe. I’m also suffering from an eye irritation, making it hard to concentrate,” he said, adding that some of his friends were suffering similar symptoms.
Pekanbaru Education Agency head Zulfadil said the decision to send students home was necessary, as the air quality in the city had continued to drop in recent days.
“We want to anticipate any negative impacts,” Zulfadil said, adding that the agency might extend the schools’ closure if the city’s air quality did not quickly improve.
In Kampar, Pelalawam and Rokan Hulu regencies, some schools have also decided to send respective students early.
“We are advising schools to give their students days off if the air quality in their respective region stays at unhealthy levels for three consecutive days,” explained Riau Health Agency head Andra Sjafril.
Local authorities in many parts of Indonesia, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan, have been struggling over the past few months to extinguish massive land and forest fires triggered mainly by this year’s extended dry season.
Haze has also played havoc with flights at a number of airports in Sumatra and Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo.
According to authorities at Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport in Pekanbaru, limited visibility on Wednesday forced 10 domestic and international flights to delay their arrivals or departures, Antara news agency reported.
In North Sumatra, 11 flights were cancelled from landing at or taking off from Kualanamu International Airport in Deli Serdang regency on Wednesday on similar concerns.
Meanwhile in Central Kalimantan, Susi Air’s flights from and to Beringin Muara Teweh Airport in North Barito regency were also cancelled on Wednesday because of thick haze.
“The flights were cancelled because the haze has been relatively thick since this morning,” airport officer Akhmad Sidik told Antara.
While most of the recent land and forest fires are the result of natural causes, others have been intentionally sparked by irresponsible parties.
In Jambi, a province in central Sumatra, police announced on Wednesday that they were investigating five cases of intentional land burnings.
Jambi Police chief Brigadier General Lutfi Lubihanto said three people had been named suspects for allegedly burning 819 hectares of land in Tebo Ilir district, Tebo regency.
The case, he said, was being handled by the Tebo Police.
