Orange Haze Engulfs Palangka Raya Amid Widespread Fires in Kalimantan

On Monday, a dense orange haze drifted across Palangka Raya, the capital of Central Kalimantan, cloaking the sky in a murky veil while wildfires continued to scorch the surrounding forests.

Locals said visibility fell to only a few hundred metres, leading schools to cancel classes and clinics to see a surge in patients with irritated eyes, coughing and shortness of breath. The haze, laden with fine particulate matter, aggravates respiratory ailments and endangers vulnerable groups such as children and seniors.

Officials identified the haze’s origin in a cluster of uncontrolled blazes burning on peatlands and in secondary forest near the city. Specialists point out that ignited peat soils emit vast amounts of carbon, producing thick, lingering smoke. The fires are primarily tied to illegal slash‑and‑burn clearing, a common practice during Indonesia’s dry season.

Since the early 2000s, Indonesia has experienced comparable fire‑driven haze episodes each year, with the most intense incidents spilling over into Malaysia and Singapore. Those events have attracted international criticism and spurred regional cooperation under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, though enforcement remains inconsistent.

To combat the situation, the provincial authorities have dispatched extra firefighting teams, conducting aerial drops of water and fire‑retardant chemicals over the most active hotspots. Real‑time satellite monitoring is being employed to track fire spread, and police have intensified patrols to deter illegal land‑clearing. Nevertheless, officials concede that dry weather and rugged terrain impede swift containment.

Looking forward, meteorologists caution that the dry season is likely to continue through year‑end, keeping the threat of new flare‑ups high. Health agencies have issued advisories urging residents to limit outdoor exposure, wear masks and stay updated via official air‑quality reports. The incident highlights the persistent difficulty of reconciling agricultural expansion with environmental protection in a region where peatlands are both a valuable asset and a major source of air pollution.