How Severe Is the Haze in South Kalimantan?
The haze from wildfires across South Kalimantan has reached Banjarmasin City. Visibility is said to be less than 10 meters in several areas.
Severe haze blanketed parts of South Kalimantan, limiting visibility and posing health risks for residents. The smog reduced visibility to less than 10 meters, with vehicles becoming indistinct as they passed through the thick haze. Videos circulating showed shadow-like vehicles passing through the smog, with some clips showing only faint glows of headlights and taillights.
The haze has worsened, with visibility expected to deteriorate further, according to Raden Rafiq, Director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) for South Kalimantan. The government's failure to address root causes of environmental problems has exacerbated the haze, with permit burdens from mining, plantation, and forest utilization activities exceeding the region's environmental carrying capacity.
Rafiq urged the government to evaluate and revoke permits of problematic companies, emphasizing the need for stricter punishment and better environmental protection policies.
Written by urgent.news from Tempo.co English's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
