Haze from South Sumatra Forest and Land Fires Thickens, Visibility Restricted

Haze caused by forest and land fires in several parts of South Sumatra grew thicker on Thursday morning (22 October).

Thick haze covered roads across urban areas, leaving visibility severely restricted. The conditions disrupted residents’ activities from early in the morning.

On-the-ground observations showed that the haze was getting thicker by the day. Air quality was also becoming increasingly unhealthy, with residents complaining of sore eyes, shortness of breath, coughing and flu-like symptoms.

“It’s getting thicker and disrupting daily activities. My eyes sting and I’m short of breath; it feels like being above the clouds. It’s hot, thick and smoky everywhere,” said Hendra Basirin, a resident of Palembang.

Residents also questioned the effectiveness of the government’s use of dry ice to tackle the haze several days earlier.

One resident said the dry ice had an effect for only a day before the haze returned. “It’s just wasting money; the dry ice lasts only two days, and the haze is still here, again and again,” the resident complained.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) carried out cloud seeding using 1,600 kilogrammes of dry ice and 800 kilogrammes of salt on 19 October to disperse the haze and trigger artificial rain.

Residents hope the South Sumatra provincial government will take a more serious and responsible approach to tackling the forest and land fires, which have been burning for two months without being brought under control.

BNPB said the dry-ice seeding was part of Weather Modification Technology (TMC), whose effectiveness depends on cloud conditions and wind speed. Wind speeds currently remain stagnant at 5–10 kilometres per hour.