Three Regions in West Kalimantan Under Dangerous Air Quality Due to Ongoing Forest Fires
Air quality in Kubu Raya, Mempawah, and Sintang in West Kalimantan reached hazardous levels on Wednesday (23/9) amidst ongoing forest and land fires across several regions in the province.
This air quality status was reported by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) as of 13:00 WIB on Wednesday (23/9).
Kubu Raya recorded the worst air quality, with PM2.5 particulate concentrations reaching 594.4 µg/m3. Meanwhile, PM2.5 concentrations in Mempawah stood at 470.7 µg/m3, and Sintang also reached hazardous levels with concentrations of 331.5 µg/m3.
The PM2.5 concentrations in these three regions are significantly above the hazardous threshold of >250 µg/m3. High PM2.5 levels are influenced by various factors, primarily the smoke from forest and land fires.
Currently, 149 hotspots and nine fire points are being monitored in West Kalimantan, according to data from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Information Dashboard for Forest and Land Fire Management as of Tuesday (22/9). The area of land burned in West Kalimantan over the last 24 hours reached 60.3 hectares. Visibility has been reported to be as low as 0.2 to 6 km, which is considered dangerous.
The poor air quality resulting from these fires is impacting local public health. The Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) recorded 174,694 cases of acute respiratory infections (ISPA) in areas affected by forest fires between 18 August and 21 September 2026. Beyond West Kalimantan, the Ministry is also monitoring affected areas in Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan. Of the 174,694 reported ISPA cases, 40,363 were among toddlers, according to the Ministry.
Meanwhile, the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Suharyanto, reported to President Prabowo Subianto that as of Wednesday afternoon, 209.78 hectares of forest and land remain on fire. He stated that his teams are continuously working to extinguish the fires occurring in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
“We report that as of today, 209.78 hectares are still being actively fought. We are monitoring this daily to ensure we maximise the area extinguished each day,” said Suharyanto during a limited meeting with the President to discuss the latest developments of the forest fires, held via video conference from Istana Merdeka, Jakarta, on Wednesday (23/9), as quoted from the Presidential Secretariat.
Furthermore, the government is intensifying various efforts to resolve the forest fires, including weather modification operations (OMC). The Head of BNPB stated that OMC will be conducted at least until the rainy season returns to normal.