Haze Forces Indonesian Province To Shut Down Airport

JAKARTA, March 13 (Bernama) --- Thick haze from land-clearing bushfires in Riau province of Sumatra led the closure of a main airport in the province on Thursday, China's Xinhua news agency reported an official as saying here.

The decision to halt operation of Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport was made by airliners following the worsening of feasibility that impaired operations, said transport ministry Bambang spokesman Ervan.

"The airliners decided to stop the airport operation today ( Thursday), tomorrow and the day after tomorrow as the feasibility is very short, it is only 400 meters," Ervan told Xinhua by phone.

"The resumption of operation would be done once there is a certainty" on the improvement of air quality particularly feasibility, he said.

Days prior to the closure more than 60 flight schedules had been aborted as thick smog worsened feasibility, according to Transport Ministry E.E. Mangindaan.

The thickening haze has also worsened air quality in the province, and the number of people suffering from respiratory trouble increased to a staggering 42,000, according to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman of national disaster agency.

Indonesia has scrambled to extinguish blaze in the bush as farmers or companies make way for plantations in Riau province, home to the world's largest palm oil industry. Satellite observation on Tuesday detected 145 hotspots in the province.

Indonesia has been battered by land-clearing bush fires since the 1990s, as the haze engulfed neighboring Asean countries and caused losses of several billion US dollars.

-- BERNAMA

Originally posted here:
Haze Forces Indonesian Province To Shut Down Airport