Forest fires persist as air quality deteriorates across parts of Kalimantan and Sumatra

Forest and land fires continue across six Indonesian provinces, while smoke has pushed air quality in parts of Kalimantan and Sumatra into unhealthy and hazardous categories.

The National Disaster Management Agency said West Kalimantan recorded 36 fire hotspots and more than 350 hectares of burned land on September 7. More than 105 hectares had been extinguished. Agency official Berton SP Panjaitan said air quality there had reached a hazardous level, with visibility below one kilometre.

The government deployed 15,091 ground personnel in West Kalimantan, who extinguished about 102 hectares. Aircraft also conducted patrols and water-bombing operations, dropping 172,000 litres of water and extinguishing about three hectares. Weather modification efforts used three aircraft and about 4,400 kilograms of salt-seeding material.

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More than 105 hectares were extinguished. The air quality is hazardous, and visibility is below 1 kilometre.

Central Kalimantan recorded 47 hotspots and more than 100 hectares of burned land, of which over 67 hectares had been extinguished. Authorities sent 4,686 personnel for ground operations, while four aircraft dropped 240,000 litres of water and extinguished more than eight hectares. Air quality there was rated very unhealthy, with visibility around 2.8 kilometres.

South Kalimantan recorded 21 hotspots and more than 260 hectares of burned land. About 163 hectares had been extinguished, including roughly 115 hectares reached by water-bombing after aircraft dropped more than 780,000 litres of water. Visibility remained below five kilometres, with air quality ranging from moderate to unhealthy.

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Air quality in the area is very unhealthy, with visibility of around 2.8 kilometres.