Haze returns to Pontianak

Haze returns to Pontianak

The start of this year's dry season in West Kalimantan was not only marked by the absence of rain over the past two weeks, but also by the return of thick haze over the provincial capital of Pontianak.

Haze covers the city at night and lasted until early morning, Antara reported. A number of motorcycle drivers in Pontianak have begun to wear masks since the haze returned several days ago.

An official at the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency (BMG) office at Supadio airport, Giri Darmoko, said on Monday that flight visibility had dropped to 1,000 meters.

He said that range was enough to ensure safe landing, and "So far, all flight schedules at Supadio airport are operating normally."

The BMG official blamed the returning haze problem to farmers resorting to the slash-and-burn method again to clear land for their crops. The lack of rain over the past two weeks had compounded problem, he added.

Haze began to return to Pontianak as early as March, but the haze had dispersed as rain continued to fall during the last weeks of the rainy season.

Giri said that unless farmers stopped burning the land, the haze would worsen as the dry season in the province reached its peak between July and August.

Forest fires and the failure to prevent plantation companies and farmers from burning the land to clear it, have made haze an annual problem in several provinces in Kalimantan and Sumatra.

Last year, haze caused respiratory problems and other illnesses among Pontianak residents, while Supadio airport was shut down due to poor visibility.