Haze Disturbs Flights At S.Kalimantan Airport

Banjarbaru, S Kalimantan, Oct 1 (ANTARA) - Haze from forest and plantation fires affected flights at Syamsudin Noor Aiport here on Monday. "All morning flights on Monday were postponed for 15 minutes from their original schedules," Haruman, the operation manager of state airport management company PT Angkasa Pura I, said. "The first flight by Lion Air to Bandung was supposed to depart at 6 am local time, but it was delayed by 15 minutes," he added. Other flights, also by Lion Air, to Jakarta, Surabaya and Yogyakarta were also postponed due to the haze. The visibility at the airport around 6 am was less than 400 meters but improved to more than 800 meters by 6.15 am, according to Haruman. For three consecutive days (Sept 28-30), all flights out of the airport have been delayed by around two hours due to haze triggered by bush fires. The haze also affected motorists and commuters as it covered roads and reduced visibility. Syaiful, a commuter, said that the visibility on Saturday morning was only five meters and he was hardly able to see the road. Nurul, a housewife, said that she was forced to wear a face-mask because the haze affected her breathing. Forest and plantation fires have been reported on the Sumatra and Kalimantan Islands during the current dry season because local farmers tend to shift to new farming and plantation areas by using fire, which is the cheapest and most effective way to clear forest area.