Home/Kalbar/Pontianak moves schools online as wildfire haze worsens Kalbar Pontianak moves schools online as wildfire haze worsens PONTIANAK, thekabarnews.com—The Pontianak city administration shifted students to online learning on Monday, August 10. This decision came after smoke from peatland and vegetation fires pushed the...

Mikail Hafeez

August 10, 2026 3 Min Read 9 0 PONTIANAK, thekabarnews.com—The Pontianak city administration shifted students to online learning on Monday, August 10. This decision came after smoke from peatland and vegetation fires pushed the air quality in the capital of West Kalimantan into an unhealthy range. The temporary measure covers early-childhood education centers, kindergartens, primary schools and junior high schools under the municipal government’s authority.

Schools will resume in-person classes after monitoring shows sustained improvement.

Pontianak Mayor Edi Rusdi

Kamtono said residents had increasingly noticed smoke at night and during the early morning. “We have begun to feel it, particularly at night and in the morning, as haze has started to blanket Pontianak,” Edi said. A municipal monitoring station in Southeast Pontianak recorded unhealthy conditions between approximately 9 p.m. and 11 p.m., according to the mayor. Air quality had improved to the moderate category by 8 a.m. “Usually, because of atmospheric pressure at night, the smoke particles descend.

This makes air quality particularly poor at night and before dawn, to the point that it is categorized as unhealthy,” he said. Pontianak’s Education and Culture Office (Disdikbud Pontianak) issued a circular directing affected schools to replace classroom instruction with remote learning. “Starting today, Disdikbud Pontianak has issued a circular instructing kindergarten, PAUD, and primary and junior high school students not to attend face-to-face classes. Instead,



they are to study online,” Edi said. “We will continue with online learning while waiting for air quality to improve.

Once it returns to the moderate category, we will normalize learning activities,” he added. The mayor urged children and other vulnerable residents to wear masks when leaving home. He also advised reducing outdoor activity, particularly at night and in the morning.

Pontianak also reported an approximately 5-percent increase in acute respiratory infection (ISPA) cases. Officials did not disclose the comparison period or number of additional patients. The city government placed the health office, community health centers and hospitals on alert and instructed them to prepare oxygen supplies.

Indonesia’s Health Ministry recommends staying indoors and limiting strenuous outdoor activity. They advise wearing a well-fitting mask when wildfire smoke affects air quality. Smoke can irritate the eyes and respiratory tract and aggravate lung conditions.

The World Health

Organization identifies fine particulate matter, particularly PM2.5, as the main public health threat from wildfire smoke. Children, older people, women in pregnancy, and people with chronic illnesses face greater risks. Edi said a regional report recorded 4,041 satellite hotspot detections across West Kalimantan.

This included 3,560 at medium confidence and 352 at high confidence. Hotspots represent thermal anomalies detected by satellites. The BMKG cautions observers against treating every hotspot as a confirmed active fire.





Firefighters continued suppressing burning peat around Sepakat II Ujung and several smaller locations in North Pontianak. Smoke drifting from fires in Ketapang, Kubu Raya, North Kayong and Landak regencies was also affecting the city, Edi said. “Peatland is difficult to extinguish once it catches fire. Spraying the surface is not enough; the ground must be thoroughly saturated,” he said.

The city has declared a forest and land fire emergency to strengthen coordination with provincial and national authorities, security agencies and private organizations. Officials are also investigating burned properties. “If we identify who started a fire, we will pursue legal action. Landowners must take responsibility and cannot simply leave their land unattended,” Edi said.

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