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View all search resultsHaze from forest fires still blankets Sumatra, Batam Islands
North Sumatra ordered distance learning for all school levels to start on Friday because haze has blanketed all regions in the province
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Thick smoke and haze from forest and land fires covers Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, on Oct. 15, 2026. Toxic haze has covered parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore for weeks as Jakarta struggles to contain fires that have scorched large tracts of Kalimantan and Sumatra, with the smoke drifting across the region. (AFP/Afan Anugerah )
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ir quality in Batam worsened on Sunday after haze from forest and land fires arrived on mainland Sumatra Island while the Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) declared air quality on the island as “unhealthy” PM2.5 concentration reaching 68,1 µg/m³.
North Sumatra has meanwhile ordered distance learning for all school levels to start on Friday due to the haze covering all regions in the province and a rain-making airplane has been transferred to Lampung to help extinguish forest and land fires in Riau.
Head of information service at BMKG’s Hand Nadim Meteorology Station in Batam, Suratman, said visibility decreased drastically, to only 1.4 to 1.9 kilometers at Hang Nadim International Airport, causing flight delays.
The visibility was mere 50 to 100 meters in Batam Center area while in open water it reaches some 400 meters.
The thick haze has also covered the view towards Singaporean skyline in Marina Bay Sands, which is usually clearly visible from Batam’s Harbor Bay and coastal areas.
BMKG called on the public, especially children and elderlies, to reduce outdoor activities and wear face masks to protect respiratory health.
North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution said the province decided to implement distance learning after the province was blanketed by haze in the past few days.
