In brief
A sudden orange haze has engulfed the Indonesian city of Palangka Raya, casting a blanket of smoke over the Kalimantan region. Videos taken by local residents show the smoke thickening as fires continue to blaze across the island. The national environment ministry reports an ISPU air pollution index of 1,200 – four times the hazardous threshold of 300. The burning has compounded an already dire pollution crisis that is choking millions in Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia, with authorities blaming slash‑and‑burn agriculture for aggravating the smog.
A sudden orange haze has descended over Palangka Raya, the capital of Central Kalimantan, obscuring the cityscape and making breathing a challenge for residents.
Video footage shot by eyewitnesses shows the smoke thickening over the region, with fires still visible in the distance. The images circulate rapidly on social media, illustrating the severity of the situation.
According to the Indonesian Ministry of Environment, the ISPU air pollution index (the country’s national air‑quality scale) spiked to 1,200 on Wednesday – a figure that is four times higher than the hazardous level of 300.
The haze is not isolated to Indonesia alone; it has spread across the Strait of Malacca, affecting Singapore and Malaysia. Health officials warn that prolonged exposure to such levels of particulate matter can cause severe respiratory problems, especially for the elderly and children.
Environmental groups point to the widespread use of slash‑and‑burn as a key driver of the smog, noting that this method of clearing peatland releases massive amounts of carbon dioxide and fine particles into the atmosphere.