Thick Haze Blankets Lake Toba

Thick haze blanketed the Lake Toba area in North Sumatra Province on Wednesday (14 October). According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the haze came from hotspots in southern Sumatra.

“Smoke was observed in the Lake Toba area this morning, with visibility of around 1,000 to 3,000 metres. BMKG monitoring indicates that it originated from hotspots in southern Sumatra,” weather forecaster Christy said, as quoted on the official BMKG Silangit Instagram account on Thursday (15 October 2026).

Christy said that observations dated 13 October recorded 2,253 hotspots in southern Sumatra. These included 187 in Jambi Province, 134 in Bangka Belitung and 132 in Lampung.

“The data were collected from observations on 13 October 2026. Winds from the east to south-east carried smoke from southern Sumatra into the Lake Toba area,” she said.

Meanwhile, monitoring by the North Sumatra Climatology Station on 13 October showed that PM2.5 levels were in the moderate category from midnight to 5pm Western Indonesian Time (WIB). From 6pm to 11pm, levels were in the unhealthy category.

BMKG advised people in the Lake Toba area to reduce outdoor activity and wear masks. It also urged residents to follow the latest updates on the BMKG Silangit social media accounts.