Palangka Raya wildfire haze turns skies orange as extreme pollution reported

Palangka Raya wildfire haze has turned skies yellow and orange in Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan province, amid reports of severe air pollution from forest and land fires.

Reports citing IQAir put the city’s U.S. Air Quality Index at 1,068 on October 16, an exceptionally high reading. The figure has not been independently verified.

The Bukit Hindu Community Health Center reportedly recorded 1,121 cases of acute respiratory infections between August and October 15, 2026.

The reported infection total covers more than two months and does not establish that every case was caused by wildfire smoke.