Thicker haze affecting Bengkulu

BENGKULU. The thick haze that has been wreaking havoc in Riau province has seeped onto the neighboring province of Bengkulu, reducing visibility to 500 meters and disrupting flights and the local fishing industry.

“It has been a week since the haze descended on Bengkulu,” said Ali Basra, a fisherman from the Malabero Beach Market in Bengkulu, on Saturday.

“The seasonal fog is nothing like this,” he said, adding that the fishermen did not dare to venture out to sea because of the poor visibility.

Haris Sahid Hakim from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) station at Fatmawati Soekarno Airport, Bengkulu, has stated that visibility is likely to improve in the early afternoon only to worse later on, adding that the haze had disrupted flying conditions around Bengkulu and the western coast of Sumatra.

Sustri, an air traffic controller at Fatmawati airport, said three flights from Jakarta to Bengkulu had already been disrupted.

“Due to poor visibility, the Garuda, Lion Air and Citilink airlines have been unable to land,” she said, as quoted by Antara News Agency. (tjs/dic)