Fires Break Out Near Indonesia’s New Capital Nusantara
In Indonesia, fires broke out in the administrative zone of Nusantara, the new capital being built on the island of Borneo. The fire hotspots were approximately 30–40 kilometers from the perimeter of government buildings and did not reach the construction site of the government complex, Mongabay reports.
Fires in the Nusantara Zone
Nusantara authorities confirmed fires in the city’s administrative zone on September 9. Fires were recorded in Wonotirto, near the main toll highway, and in the Bukit Tengkorak area of the protected Bukit Suharto forest.
On September 14, the fire sites were visited by Indonesian Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, the head of Indonesia’s disaster management agency, and the head of the Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN) agency, which oversees the new capital. During the inspection, officials spotted a possible new fire in the hills. The minister called for coordinating the work of firefighters, the military and police to ensure a rapid response.
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Haze and Health
Firefighters have been battling blazes in various regions of Indonesia since the start of the main dry season in July. By September 8, the FireWatch satellite monitoring platform had recorded more potential fire hotspots than during the same period in 2019, which was one of the country’s worst years in terms of the scale of fires.
In the South Barito district of the neighboring province of Central Kalimantan, the concentration of PM2.5 fine particulate matter at one monitoring station on September 14 barely fell below 600 micrograms per cubic meter over 24 hours. This is more than 40 times the World Health Organization’s recommended daily guideline of 15 micrograms per cubic meter.
In Balikpapan, the number of diagnosed respiratory illnesses in August rose by almost 20% compared with July, to 1,361 cases. At the same time, local medical workers noted that these data do not yet establish a causal link between the increase in illnesses and the fires. Authorities in the North Penajam Paser district are preparing supplies of masks, plan to distribute them to residents, and are urging people to reduce time spent outdoors.
