Banjarbaru Distributes 600 Basic Food Packages to Residents Affected by Smoke Indicated by ISPA

BANJARBARU, GARISBUMI.com – The Banjarbaru City Government distributed 600 basic food packages to residents affected by forest and land fires (karhutla), targeting residents who were indicated to have acute respiratory infections (ARI) related to smoke exposure.

Distribution was carried out in two stages through collaboration between the Social Service, Health Service and community health centers throughout Banjarbaru City. This basic needs assistance is part of the support for residents facing the impacts of forest and land fires.

The basic food packages are included in the Presidential Assistance allocation worth a total of IDR 663,071,000 managed by the Banjarbaru City Social Service. Apart from basic necessities, the budget is used to support field public kitchens and officer operations.

Residents indicated that ISPA was the target of assistance

Head of the Social Protection and Security Division of the Banjarbaru City Social Service, Suhasmin Alfisyah, said that the determination of aid targets was carried out together with the health sector.

"The basic necessities are intended for affected residents. Actually, if we are affected, all of us will be affected, we will only take those that are indicated to be ISPA due to the smoke. Well, this is a collaborative work with the Health Department," said Suhasmin in an interview with the Banjarbaru Media Center Team at the Social Service, Tuesday (3/11/2026).

This information shows that assistance is prioritized for residents who experience health problems due to exposure to smoke. However, the number of 600 basic food packages cannot be directly interpreted as the number of patients or recipient families because the distribution details per recipient were not stated.