Palangka Raya Air Quality Reaches Hazardous Black Category Due to Forest Fires

Air quality in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, has been reported to have reached dangerous levels, becoming the worst in Indonesia today as a result of the impact of forest and land fires (karhutla).

According to monitoring by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on Friday (18/9) at 12:00 WIB, air quality in Palangka Raya has entered the ‘black’ or hazardous category. This is indicated by a PM2.5 particulate concentration of 990.5 µg/m3.

This figure is far above the threshold for the hazardous category, which begins at > 250.5 µg/m3. The high concentration of PM2.5 in Palangka Raya has made it the location with the worst air quality in Indonesia at present.

In addition to BMKG, air quality monitoring by IQAir also shows an equally poor status. Based on IQAir data as of Friday (18/9) at 13:00 WIB, PM2.5 air pollution in Palangka Raya reached 606.2 µg/m3. This means the PM2.5 concentration in the region has surged 121.2 times beyond the WHO annual PM2.5 guideline value.

PM2.5 refers to a type of pollutant with a diameter of less than 2.5 microns. These tiny particles pose the greatest health threat because they can be absorbed into the bloodstream when inhaled.

There are several factors that can cause PM2.5 pollution, one of which is forest and land fires. Referring to the forest fire management information dashboard by the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), dozens of hotspots are still detected in the Kalimantan region, particularly in Central Kalimantan.

The BNPB report as of Thursday (17/9) shows that 63 hotspots are still being detected in Central Kalimantan. An area of 115.4 hectares has been reported burnt within the last 24 hours.