Haze affects traffic flow at Pontianak airport<\/p>\n
PONTIANAK, West Kalimantan (JP): The haze blanketing the West
\nKalimantan capital of Pontianak has affected airplanes landing
\nand taking off at the local airport before 8 a.m. since Sunday.<\/p>\n
Flights have been delayed for between 75 minutes and 90
\nminutes because visibility at the airport in the morning has been
\nreduced to between 100 meters and 200 meters.<\/p>\n
Flights after about 8:30 a.m. have not been affected because
\nvisibility improves to about 1,000 meters by this time.<\/p>\n
Ida, the spokeswoman for PT Angkasa Pura II at the Supadio
\nAirport, said planes landing and taking off after 9 a.m. were not
\naffected. The state-owned PT Angkasa Pura manages the airport.<\/p>\n
She said six Bouraq, Pelita, Merpati, Deraya, DAS and Garuda
\nflights had been affected by the haze.<\/p>\n
The delays have not caused the airlines to suffer financial
\nlosses.<\/p>\n
\"The haze has just disrupted our flight schedules. Passengers
\nhave complained about the delays,\" Syamsul, a Garuda staffer
\nbased in Pontianak, told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Planes belonging to Malaysia Airline Service (MAS) plying the
\nPontianak-Kuching (East Malaysia) route took off as normal at
\n11:50 a.m. on Monday. MAS is the only foreign airline operating
\nin West Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
West Kalimantan and the southern part of Sumatra island were
\nthe first regions affected by a thick smog this year.<\/p>\n
But the haze is now reportedly creeping over the neighboring
\nprovince of Central Kalimantan. Visibility was only 10 meters
\nbefore 6 a.m. in Palangkaraya.<\/p>\n
As in 1997, when a thick smoke from Sumatra affected several
\nneighboring countries, the haze is again reportedly beginning to
\naffect neighboring countries.<\/p>\n
Reports said that a haze floated across southern Thailand over
\nthe weekend.<\/p>\n
Fishermen were forced to stay in port as a thick choking haze
\ncovered Thailand's southern provinces of Songkhala, Pattani,
\nNarayhiwat, Yala and Satun, bordering Malaysia, since Friday,
\nwith visibility less than one kilometer, Reuters said.<\/p>\n
Sea transportation in Pontianak has also been disrupted for
\nthe last three days, with visibility on the Kapuas River in
\nPontianak between 20 meters and 50 meters before 8 a.m.<\/p>\n
Vessels which usually start their operation before 6 a.m have
\nhad to wait until after 8 a.m. before leaving port.<\/p>\n
\"I am afraid of an accident. My visibility is about 20
\nmeters,\" said Marijan, a 45-year-old pilot in Siantan.<\/p>\n
The head of the West Kalimantan Communications Office, Slam
\nSusanto, has called on transportation operators to be more
\ncareful to avoid accidents in the thick smog.<\/p>\n
The provincial Meteorological and Geophysics Agency has
\nforecast that the dry season will be longer than usual this year,
\nfueling concern that the haze in Pontianak will worsen.<\/p>\n
The areas most affected by the haze in Pontianak are the
\nairport, Sungai Raya, Kota Baru, Rasau Jaya, Sungai Ambawang and
\nthe southern part of the city. Haze begins covering these areas
\nat 5:30 p.m. and gradually disperses after 7 a.m.<\/p>\n
The city health office in Pontianak distributed on Monday
\n10,000 protective masks to pedestrians and motorists. (46\/sur)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/haze-affects-traffic-flow-at-pontianak-airport-1447893297",
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