Fire haze travel chaos in Indonesia

Saturday, 19 Oct, 2006 0

Poor visibility as a result of smoke from forest land-clearing fires has resulted in authorities in Indonesia closing several airports yesterday.

The move potentially stranded millions of travellers at the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when about 14 million people are expected to travel by road, air and sea during an annual exodus from major cities to rural villages to mark the end of fasting.

Three regional airports with visibility only about 100 metres were closed due to the fires.

Transport Minister Hatta Radjasa said flight cancellations and delays also were reported at airports on Borneo and Sumatra islands.

The fires have raged for more than two months, shrouding much of western Indonesia and neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore with smoke.

Smoke is now beginning to spread across much of Southeast Asia, triggering fears of a repeat of the environmental disaster in 1997/8 when dry conditions linked to the El Nino weather pattern caused a choking haze that cost the region billions of pounds in economic losses.

The Indonesian Government has appealed for funds and equipment from Singapore and Malaysia.

Environment Ministers from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei failed to reach agreement regarding a plan when they met last week in Indonesia’s Riau province on Sumatra Island to discuss the crisis.

Report by The Mole in Australia

Bev

Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.

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