Stories
Hazardous Haze Chokes Southeast Asia Amid Severe Indonesian Wildfires
- •Persistent wildfires in Indonesia have spread dangerous haze across Southeast Asia, severely impacting air quality in Singapore and Malaysia and causing a sharp rise in respiratory illnesses.
- •The fires are driven by a dry season exacerbated by a super-El Niño weather pattern, with environmental groups estimating that hundreds of thousands of hectares of land have been damaged.
- •Indonesia has deployed over 60,000 personnel and dozens of aircraft to fight the blazes, but Jakarta faces regional criticism for its reluctance to accept foreign assistance and declare a national disaster.
- •The heavy pollution has forced the closure of schools in Indonesia, East Timor, and Malaysia, while disrupting thousands of flights and sending respiratory illness cases soaring past 280,000 in Indonesia.
- •Indonesian authorities warn that the fires and haze will persist until the region receives sustained rainfall, with the expected arrival of the rainy season potentially delayed until November.
Key Questions Answered
The hazardous haze is caused by smoke and fumes from persistent forest and peatland fires in Indonesia, particularly on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. The fires have been intensified by dry-season conditions and a super-El Niño weather pattern.
The haze has significantly degraded air quality, pushing pollution into hazardous categories and forcing school closures in parts of Malaysia and Indonesia. In Singapore, PM2.5 concentrations reached record highs for the year, briefly making it one of the world's most polluted cities.
Jakarta has deployed over 60,000 personnel and roughly 50 aircraft for water bombing and cloud seeding. Additionally, authorities have restricted land-clearing fires and initiated legal action against hundreds of individuals and several companies linked to the outbreaks.
