Student-organized demonstrations across Indonesia on Oct. 20 put President Prabowo Subianto’s government under scrutiny as many protesters criticized its wildfire response amid haze disrupting daily life.
AFP reported demonstrations in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Pekanbaru and Makassar on the second anniversary of Prabowo’s administration. The protests reflected broader dissatisfaction with the government; many participants faulted its handling of the fires.
Greenpeace Indonesia said its activists displayed two banners at Jakarta’s Hotel Indonesia Roundabout calling for action on climate change and living costs. The group said haze was disrupting health and economic activity. Its wider climate research links the climate crisis to rising costs, without establishing that haze caused broader price increases.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) set its current firefighting target at 1,024.33 hectares across six priority provinces. As of Oct. 19, work to extinguish fires or cool affected land continued on 570.08 hectares; crews had put out fires on 454.25 hectares. BNPB reported more than 60,000 ground personnel in those provinces and 49 aircraft assigned to the response nationwide.
Central Kalimantan’s high-confidence hotspot count rose from 157 on Oct. 18 to 937 on Oct. 19, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported. BMKG attributed the dry conditions partly to a strong El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole. Separately, Nusantara Atlas has identified the clearing and drainage of peatlands for plantations as a recurring fire risk.
Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin ordered 500,000 additional masks for each of seven affected provinces, the Health Ministry said Oct. 18. AFP spoke with Melsi, a drinks vendor in Palangkaraya, who described slower sales alongside rising prices.
The haze has also prompted action in Singapore. Its National Environment Agency (NEA) plans to send notices to three Indonesian companies after finding indications that smoke from fires on their Kalimantan concessions could have reached Singapore. The agency did not determine that the companies caused the haze.
BMKG’s forecast through Oct. 26 points to continued fire risk in some areas, although rain remains possible in others.
