Indonesia Wildfires Trigger Regional Haze Crisis, Schools Shut Across Southeast Asia
Bbc · 2 SOURCESabout 4 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Indonesia is battling its most severe wildfire season in a decade as blazes rage across the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra, sending toxic smog across Southeast Asia. The fires, driven by an unusually strong El Niño weather pattern and linked to illegal slash-and-burn farming practices, have burned through 900,000 hectares of land and created hazardous air quality affecting millions of residents across the region .
Key Points
- According to independent forest monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas, 1,043,377 wildfire hotspots have been recorded in Indonesia, burning a total of 900,000 hectares of forest and peatland .
- Air pollution in western Singapore on Wednesday hit the country's "very high" band — the top level — with PM2.5 readings reaching 288 micrograms per cubic metre, far exceeding the World Health Organization's recommended annual average of 5 micrograms .
- East Timor announced it would close schools nationwide for three days starting Thursday as haze from the fires blankets the country .
- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has called for tougher sanctions against slash-and-burn farming, describing the practice as "ecological terrorism" .
- The haze has drifted beyond Indonesia to affect Singapore, Malaysia (forcing some schools to close), the Philippines, and East Timor, obscuring skylines and raising public health concerns across the region .
Why It Matters
The regional haze crisis highlights how climate phenomena like El Niño can exacerbate environmental degradation and create cross-border health emergencies. Enforcement of Indonesia's slash-and-burn ban has long proven difficult, but the scale of this year's disaster has prompted authorities to pursue tougher penalties against companies using fire to clear land .
The regional haze crisis highlights how climate phenomena like El Niño can exacerbate environmental degradation and create cross-border health emergencies. Enforcement of Indonesia's slash-and-burn ban has long proven difficult, but the scale of this year's disaster has prompted authorities to pursue tougher penalties against companies using fire to clear land .