The residents in Palangkaraya, capital city of Central Kalimantan,may find breathing difficult as the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading in the province has exceeded 2,000.

According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, the API reading in the area increased significantly from a good reading to 2,000 at 10am and it has continued to rise.

The air quality in Palangkaraya was at a constant hazardous level in the past few days, and this morning the API reading reached 1,000.

Palangkaraya experienced haze emergency since last two weeks and the situation has crippled the residents' daily activities. All schools have been closed since Monday, after the area was declared an emergency.

The haze in the province is caused by the peatland fires in Kalimantan and despite ongoing efforts to put out forest fires, the situation remains uncertain.

Meanwhile in Jambi, the API reading is still at hazardous level although it has decreased from 800 this morning to 400 this afternoon.

- Bernama