BMKG Urges Kaltara Residents To Wear Masks Due To Unhealthy Smoke Fog

The smoke fog enveloped Tanjung Selor, Bulungan on Friday, September 13, 2019. (ANTARA-Datu Iskandar Z)

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reminded people to wear masks outside the room following the air conditions of Tanjung Selor and North Kalimantan (Kaltara) in general, they are not healthy due to smog.

"In general, the ambient air conditions in Tanjung Selor are in moderate to unhealthy condition, the maximum recorded concentration is 62.9 micrograms per cubic meter (m3)," said BMKG Tanjung Harapan forecaster in Tanjung Selor, Kaltara, Monday, October 2, quoted by Antara.

The warning was issued by the Tanjung Harapan BMKG as of Monday, October 2, 2023. Currently, the air of Tanjung Selor and its surroundings and Bulungan Regency are generally shrouded in smog.

According to the BMKG, based on satellite imagery, hotspots were detected in the areas of Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and North Kalimantan Province as well as the direction of the wind being dominated from the southeast and south.

The wind direction causes the movement of air pollution to tend to move to the northwest and north.

"This has a direct impact on changes in air quality conditions in Tanjung Selor and its surroundings," he said.

From the analysis of the BMKG Tanjung Harapan, it was observed that the tendency for the furthest visibility decreased from 14.00 WITA to 15.40 WITA from 4,000 meters to 3,000 meters.

"For now, it is still monitored as safe, but if the concentration increases, it will have an impact on visibility that interferes with flight visibility," he said.

The spread of smoke is also called BMKG which has spread evenly throughout North Kalimantan, namely Tarakan, Nunukan, Malinau, Tanjung Selor, and Tana Tidung. The potential for spreading smoke is still there until forest fires in Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan are extinguished because the wind direction is dominated from the Southeast-South direction or towards the North Kalimantan region.

"So it is hoped that the community will continue to maintain the health of you and your family by always wearing masks when outdoors," he said.