Eerie orange smog shrouds Indonesian cities

Orange smog has blanketed cities in Indonesia as wildfire pollution continues to cause dangerous conditions for the country and its neighbours.

Areas of Sumatra and Kalimantan have had air pollution index readings far in excess of the "hazardous" threshold.

Levels several times higher than the threshold were also recorded in the Katingan district of Central Kalimantan on Thursday, and the provincial capital of Palangka Raya.

Dozens of people held a protest in Palangka Raya to call for better handling of the situation.

"The sky yesterday was very yellow," said 46-year-old resident, Adinata.

"People's activities are far reduced because of this condition. ​We hope there will be rain soon that will ease this problem."

The smog has been caused by peatland fires, which can smoulder beneath the surface and re-emerge. They also produce thicker smoke.

Commercial farmers burning land to make way for crops such as palm oil have been blamed for many of the wildfires.

It's led to Indonesia's worst fire season since 2015.

Some of the fires have been burning for months, with more than 270,000 cases of respiratory illness reported in just seven of Indonesia's 38 provinces.

The haze has also affected air quality in Singapore, East Timor and Malaysia - where some schools have had to shut.

Emissions from the fires have been the highest in the world ⁠for a month, according to the EU-linked Fire Emissions Watch.

It says "hotter and drier conditions" related to the onset of the El Nino phenomenon are also "driving significantly increased emissions and smoke pollution".

President Prabowo ‌Subianto appointed a new head of Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency on Thursday. It's unclear if the appointment was linked to the wildfire problem.

On Tuesday, Mr Subianto also ordered more resources to be deployed to fight the blazes amid growing criticism of the response.

Pantau Gambut, a peatland protection group, estimates 16 million of Indonesia's 24 million hectares of peatland have become more fire-prone due to factors such as deforestation and the depletion of water tables.

(c) Sky News 2026: Eerie orange smog shrouds Indonesian cities