JAKARTA, KOMPAS — The thick haze from forest and peatland fires has paralyzed four airports in Kalimantan, with airport closures leading to the cancellation of at least 99 flights and causing delays and rerouting of dozens of other flights on Sunday (15/9/2019).
The authorities of Raja Alam International/Kalimarau Airport in Berau, East Kalimantan; Juwata International Airport in Tarakan, North Kalimantan; APT Pranoto International Airport in Samarinda, East Kalimantan; and Syamsudin Noor International Airport in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, decided to halt operations due to reduced visibility of only 500 meters. Visibility must be at least 3,500 meters to be safe for operating flights.
Air transportation director general Polana B. Pramesti of the Transportation Ministry said that flights were cancelled for the safety of travelers. The airports would reopen once the visibility improved for the safe operation of flights.
"We ask that airline operators continue to communicate with [their] passengers and provide services in accordance with existing regulations. Meanwhile, we ask air transportation users to be patient, because safety is the top priority," Polana said in Jakarta.
Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi urged airlines to continue coordinating and communicating closely with AirNav Indonesia and airport operators, as well as following all air traffic recommendations. The visibility ratings were obtained through AirNav monitoring and analysis as well as air traffic control, and formed the basis for determining landings, flights, delays, cancellations and restrictions.The ministry’s sea transportation directorate general has also asked boat captains to remain alert over the haze, which could also disrupt shipping safety.
Sea and Coast Guard director Ahmad has instructed the sea transportation directorate’s Technical Implementation Unit (UPT) heads in Sumatra and Kalimantan - the areas most affected by the haze – to increase weather surveillance and monitoring before issuing port clearance permits (SPB).
"On observing the recent developments in forest and peatland fires that have affected shipping in a number of [marine] areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan, we ask the UPT heads of the Sea Transportation Directorate General to prioritize shipping safety. Do not hesitate to postpone issuing SPBs if the haze is very thick and could potentially disrupt visibility," said Ahmad.
On Sunday, Wahyu Prihanto, the head of the Class-IV Kumai Port in Central Kalimantan, urged boat captains to heighten vigilance over visibility conditions. "We issued a notice to [all] boat captains that enter Kumai Bay, especially the captains of public cruise ships as well as fishermen, to stay alert over visibility," he said.
Negligent regional heads
Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto, National Police chief Gen. (Pol.) Tito Karnavian and National Disaster Mitigation Agency head Lt. Gen. Doni Monardo on Sunday visited the areas in Riau that had been gutted by forest and peatland fires. Doni said a number of regional heads simply did not care about the fires raging through their jurisdiction.
"This is seen in their unwillingness to attend a meeting. They feel that the forest and peatland fires are not their responsibility. In fact, the environmental permits for plantation companies are issued by the regional heads, so they should also oversee their implementation, including fire prevention and management," said Doni. (ESA/RAM/JAL/KOR/WER/ARN/JUD/AIK)