TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Air pollution in Kalimantan, Sumatra at one of the lowest levels since August
A youth jumps into Musi River as thick haze from forest fires shroud the city in Palembang, South Sumatra, Thursday
Change text size
Gift Premium Articles
to Anyone
Share the best of The Jakarta Post with friends, family, or colleagues. As a subscriber, you can gift 3 to 5 articles each month that anyone can read—no subscription needed!
A youth jumps into Musi River as thick haze from forest fires shroud the city in Palembang, South Sumatra, Thursday. (AP/Bagus Kurniawan) (AP/Bagus Kurniawan)
A
span class="caption">A youth jumps into Musi River as thick haze from forest fires shroud the city in Palembang, South Sumatra, Thursday. (AP/Bagus Kurniawan)
Cities across Kalimantan and Sumatra, which have been shrouded by the haze for months, are finally breathing easy with air pollution at possibly one of the lowest levels since the crisis started in August.
On Monday morning, all but one capital city monitored by Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) for its Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings, were out of the "'unhealthy" zone for the first time since the crisis started.
At 8am local time, PSI in Palembang, the capital city of South Sumatra, peaked at 237, which is considered unhealthy. Other areas on Sumatra island such as Medan, Pekanbaru, Jambi, however, recorded mostly under 120 - a moderate zone - for most of the morning.
It was the same in Kalimantan, which together with Sumatra were the two worst hit regions by the haze this year.
PSI in Central Kalimantan capital Palangkaraya, which made the news for recording four-digit PSI levels just last week, was 70 at 9 a.m.
The authorities have attributed the improved conditions to a sporadic but heavy downpour which started early last week.
To take advantage of the increased cloud cover over the two islands, the Indonesian government has ramped up cloudseeding operations to create artificial rain in a bid to put out the lingering fires still burning over forest and peatland. (kes)
