Thick smog disrupts flights at Samarinda
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)