Students Sent Home from Palembang State Junior High School 15 Amid Thick Haze

Smoke from forest and land fires in Palembang grew thicker on Tuesday morning (20 October), despite weather-modification operations using dry ice.

High pollution levels forced students at Palembang State Junior High School 15, on Jalan A Yani in Seberang Ulu I district, to go home.

The school had initially held classes as usual, even though the Air Pollution Standard Index (ISPU) was reported to have reached 513 that day, a hazardous level.

On-site observations showed that students who had arrived at school for less than two hours were sent home because thick haze was blanketing Palembang.

Junaidi, a parent, said he went straight to collect his child after receiving a notice from the school.

“It is true that the haze is very thick today. I came to pick my child up from school after the school announced that students could go home because of the haze,” Junaidi said.

Residents and parents hope the government will take decisive action to close schools whenever the ISPU rises above 500, given the serious health risks this poses to children.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) had previously reported that Palembang’s air quality was in the ‘very unhealthy’ category because forest and land fires were continuing in several parts of South Sumatra.