Thick Smoke Disrupts Visibility for Vehicles in Banjarbaru, Traffic Congestion
Thick haze from forest and land fires (karhutla) has blanketed several areas in South Kalimantan, including the Liang Anggang district of Banjarbaru.
The smoke has severely limited visibility and disrupted residents’ activities. The incident was captured in amateur video footage by a local resident on Wednesday (19/8) at 08:42 WITA.
In the video received by CNNIndonesia.com, thick smoke can be seen obscuring visibility, forcing a number of vehicles to move slowly and causing long traffic jams.
The sound of sirens from several passing ambulances can also be heard. The destination of the ambulance convoy is not yet known.
Meanwhile, several large lorries and buses were also seen attempting to continue their journeys amid the billowing smoke.
According to Detik.com, the thick smoke from the forest and land fires has also affected flight operations at Syamsudin Noor International Airport in Banjarmasin.
A total of 12 flights were impacted due to visibility disrupted by the haze.
South Kalimantan is indeed included in the government’s list of six provinces most prone to forest and land fires.
“Then, among the areas we are watching as the most critical, there are six provinces, and it also appears in other areas outside those six. The six we are monitoring closely,” said Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago on Monday (10/8).
Besides South Kalimantan, the provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan are also on this list.
As an effort to maintain land moisture to prevent forest and land fires, the South Kalimantan provincial government has reportedly carried out wetting operations in protected forest areas on Jalan Makmur, Banjarbaru.
“This effort is reinforced by the deployment of 53 personnel from the South Kalimantan Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency stationed at the forest and land fire command post in the Jalan Makmur protected forest area to operate equipment and ensure water supply for wetting activities together with the Forestry Service,” said Herry Ade Permana, Head of the Irrigation and Raw Water Section at the South Kalimantan Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency, as quoted by Antara.
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) also reminded the public to be aware of air quality in Banjarbaru, South Kalimantan, which has reached the Hazardous or very unhealthy category as of Wednesday (19/8) morning.
The concentration of fine particulate matter PM2.5 was reported to have reached 389.4 micrograms per cubic metre, far exceeding the threshold of 250.5 micrograms per cubic metre for that category.
BMKG reported that this incident is related to smoke conditions from forest and land fires around the affected area and is exacerbated by dry conditions that make particulates and smoke more likely to persist in the air. The public is urged to reduce direct exposure to outdoor air and to wear masks when engaging in outdoor activities.