Haze thickens in Sumatra and Kalimantan, affects Malaysia

The Jakarta Post, Samarinda/Balikpapan/Palembang

The haze shrouding Sumatra and Kalimantan islands thickened on Friday and, with its density reportedly surpassing the minimum threshold, residents complained of respiratory and eye problems.

In Palembang, Balikpapan and Samarinda, in particular, the haze disrupted flights.

Syamsul Huda, chief of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency's (BMG) Balikpapan office in East Kalimantan, said that the haze density in the city was far above the minimum haze density threshold set by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the government.

"Haze density reached 583 micrograms per cubic meter this morning (Friday), far above the minimum threshold set by WHO and the government of 130 and 150 micrograms per meter cubic respectively," said Syamsul.

According to Syamsul, 645, 254 and 72 hot spots had been detected in South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and East Kalimantan respectively.

Head of the community health division at the Balikpapan administration, Diah, said that the number of people who had attended local community health centers in the past month had increased, with most complaining of respiratory-related diseases.

An official of Sepinggan International Airport in Balikpapan, Frans, said that visibility at the airport reached only 300 meters in the early morning, far less than the acceptable visibility for pilots of 2 kilometers.

The airport did not delay or cancel flights as the haze gradually dissipated in the afternoon.

In Samarinda, the capital of East Kalimantan, visibility reached 500 meters in the morning. By the afternoon, the sky was clearer, and it was not necessary to alter the flight schedule.

Due to the haze, some Samarinda residents wore masks outdoors and when driving. "The haze is much thicker than a few days ago," said motorist Haryani, 42.

Nunung Triatmoko, the head of Termindung Airport in Samarinda, feared that the haze could be much thicker in a few more days, if rain does not fall immediately.

"If that happens, flight delays and cancellations would be inevitable," said Nunung.

In Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra province, Mayor Eddy Santana Putra reiterated his call on Friday for Palembang residents to reduce outdoor activities.

He also called on schools in the city to shorten lessons so that students were not subjected to the haze.

He said the government would distribute 2,000 free masks to residents.

Separately, parts of Malaysia, including the capital Kuala Lumpur, were shrouded in smog caused by fires in neighboring Indonesia, officials said on Friday.

"The pollution is caused mainly by forest fires in Sumatra," a meteorological department spokesman told AFP, on the condition of anonymity.

Officials here said 442 hot spots were detected in Sumatra on Thursday.

Visibility in Pahang state, Malaysia dropped to 1.4 kilometers in some areas and 1.5 kilometers in Johor state, while in the capital of eastern Sarawak, Kuching on Borneo island, it was 4 kilometers.