Biak City Shrouded in Smoke as Papua Forest Fires Intensify

Smoke from forest and land fires (karhutla) is severely affecting Biak City in Papua, Indonesia, shrouding the urban area in thick haze. Consequently, many schools have been forced to close, raising concerns about the health impact on residents, especially children and the elderly. Mananwir Apolos Sroyer, Chairman of the Manfun Kawasa Byak Customary Council, stated that children have been unable to attend school for the past week, with closures continuing. The smoke has enveloped Biak City, Samofa District, Yendidori District, Biak Timur, and Biak Barat. According to Sroyer, the prolonged dry season and lack of rain mean the smoke pollution could spread to other areas. He noted that children and the elderly are particularly vulnerable, experiencing breathing difficulties from inhaling the smoke, with some requiring hospitalization. Firefighting efforts, which have been ongoing for nearly a month, have been limited to areas along roads due to inadequate equipment. Sroyer emphasized the need for aerial support, such as helicopters and large aircraft, to combat the fires where ground operations are insufficient. Data from the Ministry of Forestry's Sipongi system (August 1 - September 2, 2026) indicates 2,169 high-confidence hotspots (above 80% confidence) across Papua Province. These are distributed as follows: South Papua (1,212), Central Papua (374), Highland Papua (300), Southwest Papua (38), and Papua (12). During the same period, Biak recorded four high-confidence hotspots and 383 moderate-confidence hotspots, a significantly high number compared to other regions in Papua. Aleks Abrauw, a resident of Biak Utara District, also reported fires occurring for two weeks.