Indonesian Haze From Kalimantan Fires May Spread to Neighboring Countries, Warns BMKG

Haze from ongoing forest and land fires in Indonesia's Kalimantan region poses a risk of spreading to neighboring countries, warned the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

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Because it is carried by the wind.

According to BMKG's Himawari-9 satellite data from Sunday, August 23, 2026, haze was detected across several Indonesian provinces, including South Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Maluku, West Papua, Central Papua, and South Papua. This widespread smoke has severely impacted visibility, reducing it to less than 50 meters in Palembang city on Sunday morning and contributing to hazardous air quality during the night and morning.

Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan, BMKG's Deputy for Climatology, stated that the movement of smoke is directly influenced by prevailing winds. "Because it is carried by the wind," he explained, noting that this is related to seasonal wind patterns. The agency emphasized that the handling and anticipation of the transboundary haze impacts are being coordinated by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

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This is coordinated by BNPB.

Berton SP Panjaitan, acting head of BNPB's Data, Information, and Disaster Communication Center, stressed the need for a collective approach to tackling the fires and their cross-border effects. He urged regional nations to avoid mutual blame and instead focus on maximizing efforts within their own territories to mitigate the shared problem of transboundary haze.

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So our approach is not to blame each other, but how each country makes maximum efforts in its territory and together reduces the impact of cross-border smoke.