People displaced from their homes because of the haze in Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, have started to head south to Banjarmasin, where navy warships are docked and standing by to take in evacuees from various parts of Borneo island.

The eight who arrived yesterday, ahead of any official evacuation, were received by the Indonesian military (TNI) and treated on the KRI Dr Soeharso, a naval floating hospital.

The group, which included children and the elderly, had heard about the warships and decided to make the six-hour journey to seek refuge after their hometowns were hit by the smoke from forest fires.

Yesterday, the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in Palangkaraya peaked at 1,696 at 10am. Four-digit PSI readings have been a norm for the city in recent weeks.

… Although Indonesia has ratified a regional agreement committing it to act to reduce the smoke “haze” caused by the land fires, the law has yet to be enacted locally in its districts, said Dr Jonatan Anderias Lassa, who is a research fellow at the Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies.