Indonesia Sends Oxygen Bus as Wildfire Haze Hits Palangka Raya
A bus equipped with oxygen tanks is helping residents with breathing problems in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, as wildfire haze worsens. Indonesia’s…
Wildfire haze has left residents in Palangka Raya struggling to breathe. Indonesia sends oxygen bus support to the Central Kalimantan city, where local medical staff are providing oxygen to people reporting respiratory problems.
The local government equipped a bus with oxygen tanks and medical professionals. Residents can use a small tube placed around the nose for 5 to 10 minutes at a time, according to a Reuters report from Palangka Raya.
The service comes as respiratory illnesses linked to fires rise. Indonesia’s health ministry reported about 350,000 cases from August to October 25, while Central Kalimantan recorded about 31,000 cases as of October 25.
For residents exposed to smoke outdoors, the bus offers access to short-term oxygen support and medical staff. Workers on the white-and-blue vehicle record patient details and administer oxygen to people who report breathing difficulties.
Indonesia sends oxygen bus amid hazardous air
“The service is intended to help people access oxygen, particularly those experiencing respiratory problems or who need oxygen support amid unhealthy air quality conditions,” the Central Kalimantan provincial health department said on Instagram this week.
One patient, Oktawina, 44, said the fires had left people with little control over the situation. “This is a disaster from nature and there is not much we can do,” she said while receiving oxygen.
Another patient, Purnasari, 31, described tightness in her chest and coughing after going outside. “If I've been out of the house lately I feel tightness and coughing ... because this morning the thick yellowish smoke so my breathing feels tight,” she said.
Yuda, a member of the bus team, said many residents who came for help were coughing or having difficulty breathing. The vehicle provides a temporary response; the source report did not describe a broader treatment program.
Indonesia regularly faces seasonal forest fires, mainly on Sumatra and Borneo. This year’s fires are the most intense in more than a decade, according to Reuters. The report linked the severity to an intense El Niño weather phenomenon that has raised temperatures and left forests and peatlands more vulnerable to fires.
Smoke has turned skies orange across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. Air pollution readings in some parts of Borneo and Sumatra have exceeded 1,000, while readings of 300 or more are categorized as hazardous, Reuters reported.
The effects have also prompted public pressure. Hundreds of students protested at the provincial governor’s office last week, demanding a stronger response to the fires, local news website Kompas reported.
As residents continue to seek help, the oxygen bus is treating people who arrive with breathing complaints. The health ministry’s latest reported total was about 350,000 fire-linked respiratory illness cases from August to October 25.
Source: yahoo.com
