At least three flights from Sultan Syarif Kasim II airport, Pekanbaru city, to Jakarta and Malaka (Malaysia) were delayed on Monday morning due to haze reducing visibility.
“This morning the visibility is only 300 meters while normal visibility to conduct flight service is 1000 meters and above. Hence we delay some flights,” Airport Duty Manager Hasnan said here on Monday.
The visibility started to get back to normal condition on Monday noon.
Meanwhile according to ANTARA`s observation local people have started to feel the effect of haze in their respiratory system.
“I don`t bring face mask today because I thought the haze has really gone since last month,” Anton (42) said.
Spokesman to National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Agus Wibowo confirmed the re-emerge of haze in Pekanbaru city citing drought season that started to come in mid July as the cause of it.
Update from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) said up till Monday morning there were 220 hot spots spread out in Riau province namely in Rokan Hilir district (148 spots), Rokan Hulu district (38), Siak district (31) and Bengkalis district (22). The agency indicated the hotspots as the locations of forest fires.
Last June 17, the Riau province`s government declared an emergency status for haze. Hundreds of families were forced to evacuate as haze had affected them and fire had almost reached their homes.
Meanwhile, the Police of Riau have arrested 23 suspects in connection with forest and peat land fires in the province. It was said that the suspects had deliberately burned forest in order to open a new plantation.
