JAKARTA (Oct 8): Reddish skies and thick haze have shrouded parts of Indonesia’s Kalimantan as forest and land fires sent air quality plunging to very unhealthy and hazardous levels.

The Forestry Ministry said 1,176 high-confidence hotspots were detected nationwide as of Wednesday night.

Citing observations by the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the ministry said air quality had reached very unhealthy to hazardous levels in Central Kalimantan, parts of West and South Kalimantan, South Sumatra and Jambi.

Visibility in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, fell to just 150 metres at 12.30pm on Wednesday, with BMKG forecaster Chandra Mukti saying weak winds had hampered smoke dispersal.

Videos circulating on social media showed orange-red skies, dense smoke and flames appearing to spread towards residential neighbourhoods in parts of Kalimantan, prompting calls for help.

Some residents in Palangka Raya reported eye irritation and breathing difficulties.

The ministry said firefighting efforts were continuing on the ground and from the air.

“A total of 61 aircraft had been deployed to support firefighting operations, including 44 for water bombing and 17 for aerial patrols and weather modification, alongside ground teams involving the military, police, disaster management agencies and local communities,” it said in a social media update on Thursday.

As of 9pm on Wednesday, Central Kalimantan recorded 225 hotspots, up from 182 the previous day, while South Sumatra recorded a sharp increase to 224 from 71.

West Kalimantan recorded 47 hotspots, South Kalimantan 31 and Jambi 16, while no hotspots were detected in Riau.

The haze also disrupted flights, with visibility at Melalan Airport in East Kalimantan dropping to 500 metres on Wednesday, reportedly resulting in several flight cancellations.

At Sultan Thaha Airport in Jambi, visibility fell to 800 metres by Wednesday noon, delaying several flights to and from Jakarta.

Uploaded by Tham Yek Lee