Haze disrupts flights in Central Kalimantan

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thick haze began disrupting flights in Central Kalimantan province on Saturday, with an airplane from PT Dirgantara Air Service (DAS) reportedly rerouted after it was unable to land at Beringin Airport, North Barito regency, due to dangerous visibility levels.

Meanwhile, thick haze also was still blanketing other areas in Kalimantan and Sumatra islands, disrupting schools and forcing local residents to stay at home.

The DAS plane departed from Banjarmasin airport in South Kalimantan in the morning, but the pilot canceled his plan to land at Beringin Airport after visibility near the airport was only 700 meters.

A minimum safe level of visibility for pilots is generally 2,000 meters. When there is no haze visibility can exceed 10,000 meters.

The pilot of the Casa 212 aircraft, with a 21-seat capacity, flew over the airport twice to seek an opportunity to land, before finally aborting the landing.

The pilot decided to turn around and flew back to Banjarmasin, about an hour from Beringin Airport, Antara news agency reported.

Erny, an employee with DAS in Banjarmasin, said that there were 12 passengers on board, and due to the problems, they were offered to fly for free on the DAS flight on Monday.

The Beringin Airport authorities later announced that the haze had lightened to a relatively save level of visibility in the afternoon, and other flights were able to land.

Separately in Barito Kuala regency, South Kalimantan province, many residents chose to cancel outdoor activities due to the choking haze. Only a few motorists were seen on the streets of Marabahan, a usually bustling suburb of Banjarmasin.

Meanwhile in Palembang, South Sumatra, the thick haze began disrupting teaching activities in many universities and schools, including Tridinanti University.

Memeng, a student at the university, complained that haze had permeated the classrooms, causing breathing and eye irritation problems all day long. Forest fires, both natural and intentional, have been blamed as the main cause of the debilitating haze emanating from Indonesian Borneo and Sumatra.

It has also become an international problem as the smoke from Indonesia has created dangerous levels of air pollution in Brunei, Singapore and Malaysia.