W

orsening pollution in Sumatra over the last two days has forced authorities to close down several small airports in North Sumatra and Aceh, while the number of people suffering from respiratory illness has risen.

A spokesperson for the Kualanamu office of state airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II, Wisnu Budi, said flights from Kualanamu International Airport to Ferdinand Lumban Tobing Airport in Sibolga, Silangit in North Tapanuli, Binaka Airport on Nias Island, Aek Godang Airport in Padang Sidempuan, all in North Sumatra, and Lasikin Airport in Aceh had been canceled as the airports were closed on account of thick haze.

'€œThe airports were blanketed by haze and there was no navigation assistance equipment in the airports,'€ Wisnu told The Jakarta Post on Sunday.

He said visibility at the airports had reached 800 meters in the morning and between 1,000m and 1,200m in the afternoon.

Nora Valencia Sinaga of the Medan Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said smoke in North Sumatra originated from Jambi, South Sumatra and Riau.

'€œWinds moved from the east, southeast to the north, bringing haze from forest fires in Jambi, South Sumatra and Riau to North Sumatra,'€ Nora said.

Meanwhile, West Sumatra will soon declare emergency status in the province and set up a task force.

'€œWe will have a meeting on Monday with related agencies, set up a task force and declare the province as in a '€˜haze emergency'€™'€, acting governor Ali Asmar told the Post on Sunday.

As haze continues to shroud the province, there has also been an increase in the number of people suffering from acute respiratory illness, especially in the areas bordering Jambi and Riau.

The West Sumatra Health Agency'€™s disease mitigation and public health division head, Irene, said sick numbers had risen in the last two weeks.

'€œAlmost 14 times the number of patients in Solok, reaching 395 cases. Some areas also showed similar increases,'€ Irene said.

Health Ministry secretary-general Untung Suseno Sutarjo said the ministry would set up two additional health posts in Pekanbaru with 14 specialists and paramedics from Jakarta.

'€œHalf a ton of medicine to treat respiratory illness has been transported. Hopefully, the medicine will arrive here tonight,'€ Untung said in Pekanbaru on Sunday.

He admitted that the shipment of medicine from Jakarta was a precautionary measure to avoid expired drugs from being distributed to patients.

On Friday, an officer in a health post in front of Sukaramai traditional market, Pekanbaru gave expired medicine to patients. It is still unclear as to why the expired medicine was kept in stock.

While pollution worsens in many areas of Sumatra, it has reportedly decreased in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, thanks to rain.
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'€œThe airports were blanketed by haze and there was no navigation assistance equipment in the airports.'€

- Rizal Harahap also contributed to this article from Pekanbaru.