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Haze shuts down C. Kalimantan airport for a week
Illustration (Antara/Septianda Perdana)The operator of Beringin Airport in Muara Teweh, Central Kalimantan, has canceled all flights for a week due to a thick haze filling the air over and around the airport
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Illustration (Antara/Septianda Perdana) (Antara/Septianda Perdana)
Illustration (Antara/Septianda Perdana)
The operator of Beringin Airport in Muara Teweh, Central Kalimantan, has canceled all flights for a week due to a thick haze filling the air over and around the airport.
'There have been no flights since last Friday [Sept. 4] because the haze is getting thicker,' Akhmad Sidik, an officer at Beringin Airport, said on Friday as reported by Antara news agency.
Affected flights included those of Susi Air, which services a route from Muara Teweh to Tjilik Riwut Airport in Palangka Raya three times a week, under normal conditions.
Susi Air was also forced to cancel two other flights servicing Muara Teweh to Balikpapan in East Kalimantan and Muara Teweh to Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan.
Chartered airlines that carry the employees of several mining and gas companies have also had to cancel their flights due to the haze.
Meanwhile, Nurdin from the North Barito Transportation, Communication and Information Agency said that the receding water in the Barito River had not affected commercial river transportation.
Currently, speedboats serving Muara Teweh to Buntok in South Barito and to Puruk Cahu in Murung Raya are operating normally, according to Nurdin.
But he warned river transportation operators and passengers to be cautious of the dropping water level in the Barito River. 'So far, the water receding has only caused longer travel times for speedboats,' Nurdin added.
Sunardi, the head of Beringin Muara Teweh Meteorology Station said that horizontal visibility measured at 8 a.m. on Friday morning was at 50 to 100 meters and vertical visibility was at 150 feet.
'The thick haze is more or less the same as recent days but the vertical visibility is better. The haze usually decreases during the evening, but still remains thick,' said Sunardi. (nov/bbn)(++++)
