Thick smog disrupts flights at Samarinda
JAKARTA (JP): Thick smog from smoldering forest fires forced the authorities at Temindung Airport in Samarinda, the capital of East Kalimantan, to delay several morning flights yesterday.
The airport's manager, Ratno, was quoted by Antara as saying that flights resumed after 10 a.m. after wind blew away the smog.
The disruption occurred a day after haze forced flights from another East Kalimantan town, Balikpapan, to be rescheduled.
Officials said the smog came mainly from fires in Bukit Soeharto forest reserve in the Kutai regency which were first noticed last week.
Fires caused extensive damage to the forest last year while haze in various areas across the country delayed more than 6,300 flights and caused estimated losses of Rp 49.34 billion (US$4.934 million).
Ratno said yesterday thick smog reduced the visibility at Temindung Airport to less than one kilometer, much less than the minimum visibility of five kilometers normally required for a plane to land and take off safely.
He said the delayed flights were to Tarakan, Tanjung Selor, Berau, and other destinations in the province's remoter areas.
He said flights into Samarinda were also delayed yesterday, adding that around 36 aircraft used the airport every day.
Over the weekend, officials at Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan reported delays to morning flights last Wednesday and Thursday due to smog.
The head of Sepinggan Airport, Kuntadi said the airport was closed for one hour yesterday because of the smog.
"But it was only a thin haze, and it disappeared after the wind picked up," Kuntadi was quoted by Antara as saying.
The news agency reported yesterday fires had been reported in several areas in the province between Samarinda and Bontang and parts of the Kutai National Park.
It added that fires had also started in the mining concession owned by PT Kideko Jaya Agung in the Pasir regency.
The news agency also quoted a report issued by the Integrated Forest Fire Management (IFFM) -- a Ministry of Forestry project sponsored by the German government -- that "hundreds" of hotspots were currently threatening around 21 million hectares of forest in East Kalimantan.
Antara also said that the U.S.'s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite image interpreted on Jan. 26 had shown 93 hotspots in the province.
In 1982-1983, fires in East Kalimantan ravaged more than 1.3 million hectares of forest. They were blamed on the El Nio freak weather phenomenon, which recurred last year and is expected again this year as well.
The impact of El Nino last year was more severe than on any previous occasion this century. (aan)