Residents told to don masks as haze worsens<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
The heavy rain that fell on Pontianak, West Kalimantan on
\nSaturday failed to clear the thick haze shrouding the provincial
\ncapital, prompting the city mayor to urge the town's 500,000
\nresidents to put on masks.<\/p>\n
\"Stop complaining to the government! Buy a mask and always
\nwear it,\" Pontianak Mayor Buchary Abdurrahman told Antara on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
He also urged residents to refrain from outdoor activities.<\/p>\n
In a sudden change of weather, Pontianak has been experiencing
\na heat wave of over 35 degrees Celsius over the past two weeks,
\nwith an air pollution index far exceeding the acceptable level of
\nbelow 100 on the scale.<\/p>\n
The air pollution index in Pontianak has been fluctuating
\nbetween 100 and 300 on the scale, meaning air quality is \"not
\nhealthy\" and \"very not healthy\". On Saturday, the pollution index
\nwas between 128 and 175.<\/p>\n
Despite the pollution problem, very few people have been seen
\nwearing masks. Some have complained that the local administration
\ndid not distribute masks as has been its practice since the haze
\nproblem first emerged in the late 1990s.<\/p>\n
The haze has become a perennial problem for several provinces
\nin the country, particularly those living on Kalimantan and
\nSumatra, due to forest fires.<\/p>\n
Last year, the mayoralty of Pontianak had to shut the airport
\ndown due to the thick haze that obscured visibility and
\nendangered air transportation.<\/p>\n
On Saturday, the haze also covered the airport, reducing
\nvisibility to about 400 meters, when visibility of 2,000 meters
\nis required to ensure a safe landing or takeoff.<\/p>\n
But the reduced visibility range did not disrupt flights to
\nand from West Kalimantan's Subadio Airport.<\/p>\n
Air pollution has also threatened the public's health with
\nmany suffering from respiratory problems or other diseases.<\/p>\n
Air quality has worsened in Pontianak over the past two weeks
\nbecause of an early dry season, which was supposed to start in
\nApril, coupled with the heat wave.<\/p>\n
Haze also shrouded Pekanbaru in the Riau province and
\nvisibility worsened on Saturday, with motorists having difficulty
\nseeing the road.<\/p>\n
However, an official at the local Sultan Syarif Kasim Airport
\nsaid that the haze had not disrupted air traffic in the area, and
\nthe airport would remain open.<\/p>\n
Antara reported on Saturday that bush fires in the suburban
\nareas of Pekanbaru were the main cause of thick haze in the
\ncapital city, as locals still practice the slash-and-burn method
\nof farming.<\/p>\n
The neighboring province of Jambi has also been blanketed in
\nhaze over the past few weeks, but the local Sultan Thaha Airport
\nis continuing its flights.<\/p>\n
The airport's chief operating officer, M. Sidabutar, said on
\nSaturday that pilots were still able to see the runway with
\nvisibility ranging up to three kilometers.<\/p>\n
In Palembang, thick smog which had been blanketing the South
\nSumatra capital over the past few days had begun irritating
\nmotorists' eyes and disturbing locals' health.<\/p>\n
The condition, according to head of the province's meteorology
\nand geophysics office Suyatim, might continue despite the
\npossibility that the temperature could return to normal within
\nthe next two or three days.<\/p>\n
At night, South Sumatra's temperature is measured at between
\n22 and 34 degrees Celsius, he said.<\/p>",
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