Schools in Jambi close due to choking haze

Schools in Jambi close due to choking haze

Jon Afrizal, The Jakarta Post, Jambi

The haze in Jambi and Central Kalimantan provinces worsened on
Wednesday, prompting local authorities, particularly in Jambi
province, to close several schools.

Haze continued to disrupt flights throughout the day and
residents in both provinces had difficulty breathing.

The head of administrative affairs at the Jambi Education
Office, Hidayat Chatib, said several schools in the province had
ceased activities since Tuesday due to the worsening haze.

Nita, a student at Al Falah elementary school, said she and
her classmates were told by their teachers to take a holiday
until the haze subsided.

She had no idea when the students would return to school.

Meanwhile, Jambi Health Office staff distributed thousands of
masks to students in several regencies, including Batanghari,
Muarojambi, East Tanjungjabung and West Tanjungjabung, where
schools remained open.

Some business-minded Jambi residents took advantage of the
haze by selling masks to passersby on the streets. Masks are
being sold for Rp 1,500 (16 U.S. cents) to Rp 3,500 each.

The masks have become a practical need against the choking
haze in the province.

Meanwhile, the Jambi Environmental Impact Management Agency
recorded the haze density on Wednesday at 511 particulate matters
per 10 micron, much higher than the 377 particulate matters per
10 micron on Tuesday.

The haze has increased the number of delayed flights to and
from Jambi for the third consecutive day, as visibility is below
500 meters in the mornings and afternoons.

Head of Sultan Thaha Airport Management M. Sidabutar said the
density of haze fluctuated throughout the day, but the lowest
visibility was in the mornings and afternoons.

The haze, sparked by forest and ground fires, will likely
persist for the next few weeks, as local authorities said they
faced difficulties in extinguishing the fires.

Jambi Forestry Office head Gatot Moeryanto said their
firefighters could not put out the fires in several forests due
to inaccessibility. The difficulty was compounded by the lack of
water during the dry season, Antara news agency quoted Gatot.

Separately, the blanket of thick haze continued on Wednesday
to cover Central Kalimantan, especially in provincial capital
Palangkaraya and Sampit, the capital of East Kotawaringin
regency.

Antara reported that several residents had complained of
breathing problems.

As in Jambi, Central Kalimantan residents have taken to
donning masks to protect themselves from the haze.

The thick haze is believed to have been caused by burning peat
bogs in Kalampangan subdistrict, Palangkaraya, and ground fires
along nearby roads connecting Pangkalan Bun and Palangkaraya with
Sampit.

The local administration has been combating the fires, but has
been unable to extinguish them.