Batam gets back to normal

Batam inched closer to normalcy on Sunday, almost one week after smoke from forest fires in Riau and other provinces in Sumatra covered the city.

The haze has diminished slowly, marked by the increase of visibility at Hang Nadim airport to 5,000 meters from 300.

The Batam Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG)’s observation station head, Philip Mustamu, said 487 hotspots were still active in Sumatra. Despite this, the current wind speed meant haze could disperse.

“Although smoke remains, conditions are pretty much close to normal,” said Philip.

With improved visibility, Hang Nadim airport resumed normal services on Sunday, after five flights were cancelled yesterday. (ebf)