US embassy cable - 05TEGUCIGALPA1178

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 TEGUCIGALPA 001178 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SAN JOSE FOR BLINK 
 
E.O.  12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, AMED, HO, FAA, DOC 
SUBJECT: GREY SKIES OVER TEGUCIGALPA: SMOG SHUTS DOWN 
AIRPORT AND CHOKES CITY RESIDENTS 
 
 
1.  Summary: Smoke from agricultural and forest fires, 
combined with clouds, haze, and air pollution, blanketed 
Tegucigalpa in smog for more than six weeks from late March 
to early May.  Tegucigalpa's international airport shut down 
partially or completely on an almost daily basis in April 
due to low visibility, with flights grounded, cancelled, or 
rerouted.  The decreased air traffic had a negative impact 
on local businesses, and the smog also affected residents' 
health, with hospitals and the health unit at Post reporting 
an increase in smog-related illnesses.  End summary. 
 
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WHERE THERE'S SMOKE 
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2.  Honduras's perennial problem with air pollution is 
seasonally amplified when farmers burn their fields in March 
and April in preparation for the next planting.  The GOH 
estimates that agricultural burning makes up 75% of the 
fires; however, agricultural fires also set off forest 
fires, particularly as the burning coincides with the last 
weeks of the dry season, before the rainy season begins in 
May.  There have been more than 500 forest fires to date in 
Honduras this year, covering approximately 330 square miles 
of land.  The smoke from these crop and forest fires 
combines with air pollution and becomes trapped over 
Tegucigalpa, which is climactically and geographically 
susceptible to thermal inversions.  When there are no strong 
winds at higher elevations to clear the air, the smog hangs 
over the city like a pall for weeks on end, until the winds 
pick up or the rains come.  In April, the GOH released 15 
million lempiras (approx. $800,000) in emergency funds to 
bolster fire-fighting efforts in 35 municipalities at high 
risk for forest fires.  However, these efforts had a minimal 
impact on the fires this season, as the funds were released 
weeks after the burning began.  In addition, farmers are 
prone to re-start fires if their fields have not been 
sufficiently cleared; even in areas where fires were 
temporarily extinguished, the farmers re-ignited the fires 
the following day. 
 
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FLYING BLIND 
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3.  Between mid-April and the first week of May, Toncontin, 
Tegucigalpa's international airport, was completely closed 
due to smog for 4 days, partially closed for 9 days, and 
entirely operable for only 3 days, according to airport 
manager Carlos Cervantes.  Toncontin presents a challenge in 
the best weather conditions, with an approach requiring 
pilots to come in high over the mountains and then circle 
the city to reduce altitude before landing.  Visibility must 
be at least 3km for Toncontin to operate; during the burning 
season this year, smog reduced visibility to 1-2 km, 
shutting down the airport for hours at a time.  Rigoberto 
Alverenga, General Manager of Continental Airlines in 
Honduras, reported that Continental, which requires a 
minimum visibility of 4.5-5km, cancelled more than 8 flights 
over a two-week period.  Both Continental and American 
Airlines re-routed some flights to San Pedro Sula, a four- 
hour drive from the capital; however, San Pedro Sula's 
airport, along with Honduras's other two airports, also 
experienced temporary closings and flight delays due to 
smog.  Officials estimate that the airports lost 
approximately $300,000 over a four-day period at the end of 
April.  The U.S. Air Force recently entered into an 
agreement with the Honduran civil aviation authority to 
design a GPS approach to Toncontin, which in the future 
could help prevent or reduce airport closings by reducing 
the visibility required to land.  However, the 
implementation of the agreement will not take effect until 
after this year's smoke season. 
 
4.  The GOH is analyzing the possibility of using Soto Cano 
Airbase, located 82 km from Tegucigalpa, as an alternate 
airport during the months of heavy smoke.  Although the 
Honduran air force owns the installation, the U.S. military 
currently operates out of one part of Soto Cano and provides 
resources such as power, water, and waste treatment to the 
entire base, as well as maintenance of the airfield 
facilities.  President Ricardo Maduro announced that he 
would consider converting Soto Cano into a commercial 
airport; however, he did not give a time frame for his 
decision or discuss the infrastructure requirements such a 
conversion would entail.  Post does not support this 
proposal and doubts its viability, given the significant 
economic costs of base conversion and the security concerns 
about current base operations. 
 
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UP IN SMOKE 
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5.  The decrease in air traffic caused by smog had a 
corresponding effect on other businesses in Tegucigalpa. 
The larger chain hotels, such as the Marriott and 
Intercontinental, reported a 20-40% drop in occupancy over 
the last few weeks of April, due to the inability of 
business travelers to land in Tegucigalpa.  Conferences and 
meetings at the hotels also had to be cancelled, according 
to Glenn Simon, General Manager of the Marriott.  Upscale 
restaurants as well as smaller businesses such as airport 
taxis similarly suffered from the absence of business 
travelers, who make up the majority of international 
visitors to Tegucigalpa.  However, the smog had a positive 
effect on certain businesses.  Ground transportation 
companies connecting Tegucigalpa to San Pedro Sula and other 
cities in the region with functioning airports, such as San 
Salvador, experienced a steadily increasing demand for their 
services.  Also, some local tour companies in Tegucigalpa 
benefited from travelers being stranded in the city while 
waiting for the airport to re-open, reported Victor Melgar, 
of Grayline Tours Houduras. 
 
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MIASMA ES SU ASTHMA 
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6.  The smog also seriously affected the health of 
Tegucigalpa's citizens.  Tegucigalpa's largest hospital, 
Hospital Escuela, experienced a one-hundred-percent increase 
in admissions due to smog-related ailments, such as skin 
rashes, headaches, conjunctivitis, and respiratory 
illnesses.  The Honduran Ministry of Health estimated that a 
third of all cases seen at local hospitals at the end of 
April involved respiratory problems caused or complicated by 
the smoke and air pollution.  The health unit at Post also 
reported an increase in cases of bronchitis, asthma, and 
allergy-related symptoms.  Local schools suspended or 
modified physical education classes to limit children's 
exertion outside; similarly, many recreational activities 
for children at Post were cancelled throughout April and the 
beginning of May. 
 
PALMER