Flights disrupted as haze worsens in Jambi
Flights disrupted as haze worsens in Jambi
Jon Afrizal, The Jakarta Post, Jambi
Increasing smoke and haze from bush and forest fires in the past
week around Jambi city have disrupted flights and led to
respiratory problems among residents.
M. Sidabutar, the head of Sultan Thaha Airport Management,
said on Monday that the worsening haze had decreased pilot
visibility so many flights in and out of Jambi had to be delayed.
"We have informed Jakarta and other airports in order to delay
flights to Jambi as the haze thickened this morning," said
Sidabutar.
Due to the haze, an airplane from Sriwijaya airlines arrived
in Jambi airport two hours late at 10 a.m. A similar story
occurred with Mandala airlines, which arrived at 11:30, two and a
half hours late.
The airplanes had to wait for the haze to lift.
Haze in the city is usually quite thick in the morning, but
gradually lifts in the afternoon.
Despite the disruptions, Sidabutar said none of the flights
were completely canceled.
Aryana Yassin, the chief of Meteorology and Geophysics in
Sultan Thaha Airport, said that the visibility in Jambi had been
under 500 meters in the past few days, especially in the morning
and evening. The ideal visibility for pilots is 1.5 to 2.2
kilometers.
Given the short visibility in the morning and afternoon, he
told the pilot and airport authorities to only allow flights in
the afternoon, when visibility is better.
Meanwhile, satellite data with the North Oceanic Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) shows that there were 28 hot spots
throughout Jambi on Sunday, but that number rose to 287 on
Monday.
Most of the hot spots were detected in Muarojambi, East
Tanjungjabung and West Tanjungjabung regencies. Over 60 hot spots
were detected in Berbak National Park, which has an abundance of
unique animal and plant life.
Joko Fajar, the chief of Forest Fire Management in the
province, said that he would focus on putting out fires in the
national park.
Separately, officials from the Jambi Environmental Impact
Management Body said on Monday that the haze in the city had
endangered the health of local residents.
Air quality has been worsening in the city in the past few
days, said Saleh Sibly, the agency's chairman.
The amount of particles per 10 microns in the air was 350 and
395 on Monday and Sunday respectively, far from the normal level
of 100 particles per 10 microns.
Given the poor quality of Jambi's air, Saleh advised Jambi
residents to wear masks while outside. He also suggested that, if
possible, people should stay at home.
Saleh blamed the haze on fires from illegal land clearance in
Jambi in the past week.
The land clearance has apparently been perpetrated by
companies and individuals. Most perpetrators argue that clearing
land by burning the forest was cheaper and easier than any other
method. There is also another benefit from the land clearing
through slash and burn practices, namely that the burned trees
had been natural fertilizer for the land.
Haze has been annual problem in Sumatra's province of Jambi,
and also Kalimantan island.
The haze problem has not only affected Indonesia, but also
other neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.
Despite efforts at regional cooperation, the haze problem has
continues unabated on Sumatra and Indonesian Borneo.