Schools closed as Indonesia battles wildfires
In Pontianak, West Kalimantan, schools have been ordered to close due to the smoke wafting over the city from fires elsewhere.
Indonesia is battling wildfires, leading to the closure of numerous schools in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, as the city faces smoky conditions from fires elsewhere. Mayor Edi Rusdi Kamtono ordered the closures to protect against the spreading haze, which began during a long and intense dry season exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon.
With tens of thousands of public school pupils in the city, children are now learning from home as long as air quality remains poor. The air pollution index in nearby Malaysia showed an unhealthy level of 190, prompting locals to stay indoors. Indonesia, which shares the island of Borneo with Malaysia and Brunei, has deployed an extensive firefighting effort, involving over 48,000 personnel in six provinces.
Authorities expect an unusually tough dry season due to El Nino, with more than 107,000 hectares of land already burned this year, double the area affected in 2023.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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