The Pontianak mayor asks people to wear masks as the Karhutla alert worsens air quality

Pontianak, ThekabarNews.com—The air quality in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, has gotten worse in the last few days. Because of this, the Pontianak Administration has warned people to take health precautions because of persistent worries about forest and land fires (Karhutla).

More people are complaining about haze and smoky air, especially since Pontianak, which has the greatest population in West Kalimantan, is still feeling the effects of the air getting worse the most. But the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) says that fires in the city are not the only thing making the air quality worse.

Local fires are under control

In the last several days, there have been several land fires in sections of the South Pontianak and Southeast Pontianak districts. In response, the Pontianak Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) promptly dispatched personnel to the affected areas.

The swift response prevented the fires from spreading further. Officials noted that the swift containment stopped the situation from getting worse for the environment and people’s health.

The Pontianak mayor, Edi Rusdi Kamtono, said that the dry season that is currently going on has made it more likely that fires may start in many places. Even though these things are happening, the local authority has stayed ready by regularly checking on locations that are likely to catch fire.

“Officers have been monitoring the area even before forest and land fires occur. Our personnel are always ready to respond when flames break out, and we stay on the lookout after fires to stop them from happening again,” Edi Kamtono stated.

The mayor emphasized that the Pontianak Administration remains fully committed to extinguishing forest and land fires within its jurisdiction. The ongoing efforts to stop illegal burning include regular patrols, quick firefighting tactics, and post-incident surveillance.

Outside the city, there is also smoke

Data from monitoring suggests that Pontianak has one of the lowest numbers of hotspots in West Kalimantan. Other areas, on the other hand, have a lot more fire points.

“This circumstance is different from other locations that have a lot more hotspots,” Edi Kamtono added.

These findings show that local fires alone do not cause the haze in Pontianak. Smoke from nearby areas, along with the city’s location and the wind patterns, has made the air quality worse, even though there has not been any fire activity in the city.

The air quality is still at a moderate level

The Pontianak Environmental Agency’s (DLH) said that the city’s Air Pollution Standard Index (ISPU) is still in the moderate range. Authorities are telling people to be careful, even though it has not been declared unhealthy yet.

The mayor encouraged people to wear masks and stay inside as much as possible to avoid getting sick.

“For now, people should wear masks and do things inside if they can,” Edi Kamtono remarked.

The municipal authorities also said that they are still working with other regional governments to lessen the effects of forest and land fires across West Kalimantan.