Thick haze continues to envelop the city of Samarinda, East\nKalimantan, as of Thursday morning (17\/09\/2026). The condition developed\nrapidly since Wednesday afternoon, when the smoke was initially thin but\ngradually thickened by the evening, beginning to disrupt community\nactivities.<\/p>\n
The impact of the haze has even reached the aviation sector. On\nWednesday afternoon, a Batik Air flight from Jakarta (BTK 6676),\nscheduled to land at Aji Pangeran Tumenggung (APT) Pranoto Airport in\nSamarinda at approximately 16:55 WITA, had to be diverted to Sultan Aji\nMuhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan Airport in Balikpapan. At the time,\nvisibility in the airport area was reported to have dropped to around\n1,000 metres, making landing conditions unsafe.<\/p>\n
By Thursday morning, the air quality in Samarinda became a major\nconcern. Data from the Air Pollution Standard Index Monitoring Station\nshowed that Samarinda\u2019s air quality stood at 129, categorised as\nunhealthy. This data aligns with monitoring from IQAir. The Acting Head\nof the Samarinda Environmental Agency (DLH), Suwarso, stated that on 16\nSeptember 2026, the AQI in Samarinda was recorded at 108, with PM2.5 as\nthe primary pollutant, placing it in the unhealthy category for\nsensitive groups.<\/p>\n
According to Suwarso, such air conditions have the potential to cause\nhealth issues ranging from throat irritation and coughing to shortness\nof breath. Consequently, the public has been urged to increase personal\nprotection while the haze persists. \u201cIt is mandatory to use masks, such\nas N95 or KF94 masks, which offer high filtration efficiency and a tight\nseal on the face. Masks also need to be replaced regularly,\napproximately every 8 to 12 hours,\u201d Suwarso said.<\/p>\n
Residents staying indoors are also advised to close doors and windows\ntightly to minimise the entry of outdoor air. Outdoor activities should\nbe reduced unless absolutely necessary. \u201cIf it is not urgent, please\nreduce your activities outside the house,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
The impact of deteriorating air quality has also reached the\neducation sector. The Samarinda City Education Office has implemented\nonline learning for students, instructing schools to suspend\nface-to-face classes and transition to home-based learning. This policy\naligns with the advisory from the Samarinda City Health Office, which\nrequested that the public, particularly children and vulnerable groups,\nreduce outdoor activities until air quality improves. Universities and\nhigher education institutions in Samarinda have also been urged to\nmonitor air quality developments and adjust activities accordingly.<\/p>\n
Suwarso suspects that the worsening air quality in Samarinda is\nlinked to ongoing forest and land fires (karhutla) within the city and\nseveral other regions in Kalimantan. \u201cThe current condition is due to\nfrequent land fires in Samarinda, which is being exacerbated by forest\nfires in several other areas across Kalimantan,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thick-haze-from-forest-fires-envelops-samarinda-flights-diverted-and-schools-switch-to-online-learning-1789624537", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }