Hazardous haze lingers as fire hotspots drop but still plague Kalimantan and Sumatra

Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry said BMKG data indicate that very unhealthy to hazardous air quality still affects Central and South Kalimantan as well as South Sumatra and Jambi. The latest count shows 354 confirmed fire hotspots across the country, a 55.7 % drop from 799 the previous day, with South Sumatra reporting the highest number at 132. Central Kalimantan’s hotspots fell sharply to 19, while West Kalimantan, Jambi and other provinces reported only a few.

The ministry has kept 61 aircraft in the air—44 for water-bombing and 17 for patrols or weather modification—focused mainly on the hardest-hit provinces. Smoke from the fires has reached the atmosphere over Jakarta, Banten and West Java, leading to haze that forced the cancellation of two domestic flights between Jakarta’s Soekarno-Hatta Airport and Ternate and caused unhealthy air-quality index readings, such as 156 in Tanjung Priok. The situation underscores ongoing challenges in managing Indonesia’s forest and land fires.