Haze cancels flights in West
Haze cancels flights in West
1 May 2009
published by www.myrepublica.com
Nepal — Due to the excessive amount of haze in the atmosphere of the mid-western and far-western regions, more than half the flights from Nepalgunj and Surkhet have been cancelled.
According to the Civil Aviation Authority, an average of 25-30 planes took off from Nepalgunj Airport but since the last 5 days, the number has decreased to 10-12 flights. Among them, only 1-2 flights have been to the hilly areas of the region.
The current haze is the result of the lack of rain in the region, increasing the temperature. The current forest fires have also aided to the opacity of the haze limiting visibility to less than 5 kilometers, creating a weather condition dangerous for planes to fly.
The lack of airline flights has made life very difficult for those who were depending on it as the sole mode of long distance travelling as the Tharuhat Struggle Committee has closed the East-West highway for one-and-a-half weeks.
