Haze Disrupts Flights in Sumatra as Pollution Nears Danger Level

By Rieka Rahadiana

Haze from Indonesian forest fires is delaying flights to and from Sumatra and increasing respiratory infections on the island as pollution nears dangerous levels.

There were 153 fire hotspots in Sumatra, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, spokesman for the country’s national disaster mitigation agency, said by phone message yesterday. The Air Pollution Standards index for Sumatra was at 240 on Sunday or at a ‘very unhealthy’ condition and near the 300 level considered dangerous, he said.

Neighboring Singapore and Malaysia have been plagued for decades by periodic haze caused by clouds of ash from forest fires in Indonesia. The blazes are often started to clear land for plantations in the world’s largest producer of the edible oil from palm trees.

“Even though extinguishing efforts are continuing to take place, both from land and air, by law enforcement agencies and others, the burning is still being done,” Nugroho said.

The pollution led to 14 departures being postponed yesterday from the international airport in Palembang, South Sumatra, the Jakarta Post reported today, citing Huzain Achmadi, the acting general manager of state-run airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II, as saying.

The health agency in Palembang, the capital of South Sumatra province, has found the number of patients suffering from acute respiratory infections reached 20,157 as of September, up by around 2,000 from August, the Jakarta Post said, citing Afrimelda, an official at the agency.

Indonesia last month ratified a regional haze pact it signed 12 years ago, an effort to stem illegal burning blamed for pollution that hit record levels in Singapore last year. Singapore in August passed a bill that carries fines of as much as S$2 million ($1.6 million) for foreign companies for illegal emissions.


Sumber - Bloomberg