# Orange haze chokes Indonesian cities as wildfires rage

> Thick smog from wildfires and agricultural burning blankets Palangka Raya and surrounding regions, affecting millions across Southeast Asia.
- Title: Orange haze chokes Indonesian cities as wildfires rage
- Summary: Thick smog from wildfires and agricultural burning blankets Palangka Raya and surrounding regions, affecting millions across Southeast Asia. An orange haze…
- Keywords: indonesia, palangka raya, kalimantan, air pollution, wildfires, slash and burn, singapore, malaysia, news, world, Orange, haze
- Source: BBC News — https://bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c63dj4p4k5dlo
- Published: 2026-10-15T03:26:36.246+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: indonesia, palangka raya, kalimantan, air pollution, wildfires, slash and burn, singapore, malaysia, news, world
## Orange smog descends on Palangka Raya
A thick orange haze has blanketed the Indonesian city of Palangka Raya in the Kalimantan region, where wildfires continue to burn nearby. Witnesses captured videos of the smog washing over towns.

> 'Nowhere to escape'
## Pollution index hits four times hazardous level
The ISPU air pollution index exceeded one thousand two hundred on Wednesday, according to data from the national environment ministry. This is four times higher than the hazardous level of three hundred.
## Slash and burn farming compounds the crisis
Toxic smog is choking millions across Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia. Authorities partly blame the agricultural clearing method known as slash and burn for compounding the intense haze from wildfires.
## Key takeaway

An orange haze from wildfires and slash-and-burn farming has blanketed Indonesian cities, with pollution levels four times the hazardous threshold affecting millions across Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.