Bali Says Kalimantan Smoke Has Not Reached Denpasar
Bali’s disaster agency said on Oct. 20 that Kalimantan wildfire smoke had not reached the island, as residents reported haze and poorer air quality in Denpasar.
By Pandi Muktar
Editor: Mursyid Sonsang
· 2 min read
Denpasar — On October 20, 2026, Bali’s disaster-management agency said coordination with the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency still showed no indication that wildfire smoke from Kalimantan had reached Bali. The statement followed residents’ complaints about worsening air quality and hazy conditions in Denpasar and surrounding areas.
I Gede Teja, head of the Bali Provincial Regional Disaster Management Agency, said the agency’s assessment was based on information from BMKG, Indonesia’s national weather and geophysics authority. He said the prevailing easterly winds generally moved from east to west, making it unlikely that smoke from Kalimantan was moving toward Bali.
Why the Denpasar haze matters to residents and visitors
The complaints about air quality were real, but their cause had not been established as smoke from Kalimantan. A report cited an air-quality index of 113 in Denpasar, a level categorized as unhealthy for sensitive groups. Bali’s disaster agency said investigating the source of pollution was a matter for the provincial Environmental Agency.
Possible local contributors mentioned by the agency included vehicle emissions and emissions from power-generation activity. Hazy conditions and a decline in air quality, it said, do not necessarily result from forest and land fires outside Bali.
A visibly hazy sky does not, by itself, confirm that regional wildfire smoke has reached the island. Official air-quality data and environmental inspections were needed to identify the source. The agency also urged people not to immediately link the haze to fires outside Bali and to follow information from the authorities.
BMKG continued coordinating with Bali’s disaster-management agency on atmospheric conditions and potential hazards.
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