JAKARTA (Oct 14): In scenes reminiscent of the post-apocalyptic film Mad Max, thick orange-brown haze has returned to Indonesia's Central Kalimantan, darkening the skies and severely reducing visibility amid the forest and land fires gripping the province.

Videos shared by members of the public on social media show streets and buildings in the provincial capital of Palangka Raya shrouded in dense haze. A footage dated Tuesday, Oct 13, at 5.05pm local time depicts vehicle lights cutting through the murky surroundings.

According to a report by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on its website, air quality in Palangka Raya remained hazardous on Wednesday morning, with fine particulate matter (PM2.5) concentrations reaching nearly five times the threshold for the agency’s highest pollution category.

Another video shared from Timpah, also in Central Kalimantan, showed an orange-tinted sky and surroundings obscured by thick haze. The man recording the footage pronounced the time as 11am on Oct 13.

The scenes underscore persistent air pollution in several scorched provinces.

The Forestry Ministry warned that air quality remained a concern despite ongoing firefighting efforts.

“Very unhealthy to hazardous air quality continues to affect Central Kalimantan and several locations in South Kalimantan, as well as South Sumatra and Jambi, while air quality across most of Indonesia remains moderate or good,” it said in a social media update.

The Health Ministry, meanwhile, reported 277,075 cases of acute respiratory infections across 63 districts and cities in seven affected provinces as of Oct 11, including 62,400 cases among children aged five and below.

In an update on its Instagram account, the ministry said 2,106 medical and healthcare personnel had been deployed to affected areas.

It also distributed medical supplies, including more than 2.89 million face masks, 280 oxygen concentrators, and 4,908 sets of personal protective equipment.

Despite the persistent haze, the Forestry Ministry said as of 9pm on Tuesday, high-confidence forest and land fire hotspots nationwide fell by more than 77% to 244 from 1,085 a day earlier, based on satellite monitoring by its SiPongi system.

Across six priority provinces, hotspots declined to 148 from 542, with Central Kalimantan recording 65, followed by South Sumatra (59), West Kalimantan (15), and South Kalimantan (nine). Jambi and Riau recorded none.

The ministry said 61 aircraft remain deployed for firefighting operations, comprising 17 for aerial patrols and weather modification operations and 44 for water bombing. Six aircraft are operating outside the priority provinces.

Read also:
Haze: Pasir Gudang worst hit as 27 areas nationwide record unhealthy readings
Haze: Discussions started with Indonesia to tackle forest fires, says Tok Mat

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