Indonesia wildfires choke Southeast Asia as toxic haze sparks health crisis and foreign aid debate

Indonesia is battling its most severe wildfire season in more than a decade as months of forest and peatland fires blanket large areas of Sumatra and Kalimantan in hazardous smoke, drive hundreds of thousands of respiratory illnesses and spread thick haze into neighboring countries across Southeast Asia.

More than 283,000 cases of respiratory illness have been recorded across seven Indonesian provinces, while air pollution readings in some of the worst-hit areas have climbed several times above levels classified as hazardous. The Katingan district of Central Kalimantan recorded an air pollution index reading approaching 1,600, while nearby Palangka Raya reached nearly 1,300 as thick orange and yellow haze reduced visibility and disrupted normal life.

The emergency is also becoming increasingly regional. Singapore has recorded its highest pollution levels of the year, while schools have been suspended in parts of Malaysia and East Timor as smoke from Indonesian fires crosses international borders. Months of persistent burning have also disrupted flights, damaged wildlife habitat and intensified criticism of Jakarta’s handling of an environmental crisis that has repeatedly affected Southeast Asia.

President Prabowo Subianto has responded by replacing the head of Indonesia’s national disaster mitigation agency and appointing new leadership focused on peatland restoration. The government is also reconsidering foreign assistance after previously relying largely on domestic firefighting resources, signaling that officials recognize the scale of the crisis may require a broader response.

Indonesia’s wildfire crisis worsens as hazardous haze spreads across Southeast Asia

The fires have been burning for months across large sections of Sumatra and Indonesian Borneo, with Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra among the hardest-hit regions. Persistent drought associated with strong El Niño conditions has dried forests and peatlands, allowing fires to spread quickly and making them exceptionally difficult to extinguish.

Indonesia has deployed more than 69,000 firefighting personnel, up substantially from roughly 44,000 in mid-September, alongside dozens of aircraft involved in water bombing and weather-modification operations. Authorities have also experimented with cloud seeding and other techniques intended to encourage rainfall over burning areas.

Despite that effort, thick haze continues to cover communities across several provinces. Residents in Palangka Raya have described dramatically reduced visibility, widespread use of face masks and increasingly limited outdoor activity as smoke repeatedly returns even after firefighting crews suppress visible flames.

The problem is particularly severe in peatlands because fires can burn below the ground rather than only across the surface. Peat contains large quantities of partially decomposed organic material that can smolder underground for weeks or months, allowing apparently extinguished fires to re-emerge when conditions remain hot and dry.

Those underground fires also produce substantial amounts of dense smoke. Without sustained rainfall capable of saturating the peat, firefighters can struggle to fully eliminate them even after deploying large quantities of water.

Respiratory illnesses surge as schools close and flights are disrupted

The growing health burden has become one of the most serious consequences of the fires. Indonesian authorities had recorded more than 283,000 cases of acute respiratory illness across seven affected provinces by October 13, reflecting prolonged exposure to smoke containing dangerous fine particles.

Particulate pollution known as PM2.5 is especially concerning because the microscopic particles can travel deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Prolonged exposure can worsen asthma and other respiratory conditions while increasing cardiovascular risks, particularly for children, older adults and people with existing health problems.

Hospitals and clinics in affected regions have seen higher numbers of patients reporting breathing difficulties, coughing and other symptoms associated with the haze. Authorities have distributed masks and established facilities intended to provide cleaner air, but reducing exposure becomes difficult when smoke permeates entire cities for extended periods.

Education has also been disrupted beyond Indonesia. East Timor suspended face-to-face classes for three days beginning October 15 because of air pollution linked to regional fires, while some Malaysian states have also closed schools as haze worsened.

Singapore recorded its highest pollution readings of the year as smoke reached the city-state. Fine-particle levels entered the government’s “very high” category in parts of Singapore, adding new pressure for stronger regional cooperation to address fires that routinely cross national boundaries.

Aviation has faced disruptions as well, with nearly 2,000 flights affected in Indonesia during the wider fire emergency. Poor visibility can delay or cancel flights even when airports themselves are not threatened by flames, extending the economic consequences well beyond the areas directly burning.

Degraded peatlands emerge as central cause of Indonesia’s recurring fire disaster

Indonesia is increasingly pointing toward decades of peatland degradation as one of the structural causes behind the current emergency. Senior officials say large areas of peat were drained or altered by agricultural development and earlier food-production projects, leaving landscapes that would naturally remain waterlogged increasingly vulnerable to fire.

Indonesia contains approximately 24 million hectares of peatland, but officials estimate that around 16 million hectares have been degraded to varying degrees. Once peatlands are drained, their water levels fall and previously saturated organic material dries out, transforming landscapes that normally resist fire into highly combustible fuel.

Large sections have also been converted into plantations, particularly for commodities such as palm oil and pulpwood. Environmental organizations have long argued that drainage canals, deforestation and land-clearing practices have contributed to recurring haze emergencies.

The government now says peat restoration will become a major priority. Newly appointed officials plan to drill wells, improve water management and rewet degraded landscapes so they are less likely to ignite during future droughts.

Progress from earlier restoration efforts has been limited. Only a small proportion of peatland damaged between 2015 and 2019 has been fully restored, while significant areas have continued to be used for plantations and other development.

That makes the current crisis more than a temporary firefighting problem. Without restoring the underlying landscape, Indonesia could remain vulnerable whenever El Niño or another prolonged dry period creates favorable conditions for widespread burning.

Prabowo replaces disaster chief as government considers accepting foreign assistance

President Prabowo has appointed Army General Kristomei Sianturi to head Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency as pressure increases over the government’s response. Sianturi has said authorities will assess offers of foreign assistance and determine what additional resources could help bring the fires under control.

The shift is significant because Indonesia has faced criticism from neighboring countries over its reluctance to accept external firefighting support. The haze has become an increasingly contentious diplomatic issue as pollution spreads across borders and disrupts schools, transportation and public health elsewhere in Southeast Asia.

Residents inside Indonesia are also becoming more vocal. Protesters gathered outside government offices in Central Kalimantan demanding stronger action after months of hazardous conditions, while residents in West Kalimantan have pursued legal action alleging that authorities failed to adequately prevent and control the fires.

Indonesia has simultaneously increased enforcement against companies suspected of involvement in illegal burning. Authorities have suspended operations at dozens of companies and initiated criminal proceedings against some corporations while investigating fires inside or near plantation concessions.

Companies frequently maintain that fires begin outside their controlled areas or are started by independent actors before spreading onto concessions. Establishing responsibility can therefore become legally complicated, particularly across enormous plantation landscapes where fire can travel substantial distances.

Pressure for tougher enforcement is likely to persist because deliberate burning remains one of the cheapest methods for clearing vegetation for agriculture. Unless penalties and monitoring make illegal burning economically unattractive, environmental groups argue that firefighting alone will not solve the recurring problem.

Orangutans and other wildlife lose habitat as fires spread through protected forests

The environmental damage extends far beyond air pollution. Fires have entered or threatened important wildlife habitats across Sumatra and Borneo, including forests that support critically endangered orangutans and other species already under pressure from deforestation.

Wildlife rescue organizations have relocated orangutans from areas damaged by the fires, including mothers carrying infants and younger animals suffering from dehydration or reduced access to food. More than 270 wild animals have reportedly required rescue or relocation during the wider fire emergency.

Parts of Tanjung Puting National Park in Central Kalimantan, an internationally important orangutan habitat, have also been affected. Fire inside protected forests creates long-term consequences because surviving animals may lose feeding areas and habitat corridors even after the immediate flames disappear.

Peat fires can be particularly destructive environmentally because peatlands store enormous quantities of carbon accumulated over thousands of years. When they burn, that carbon is released into the atmosphere, creating climate consequences significantly larger than those from ordinary surface vegetation fires.

Indonesia has at times accounted for an exceptionally large share of global fire-related emissions during the current crisis. That adds an international climate dimension to an emergency already affecting public health, biodiversity and regional diplomacy.

Why Indonesia’s haze crisis could persist until sustained rainfall returns

The immediate outlook depends heavily on the weather. Indonesia’s dry season normally begins easing during the final months of the year, but strong El Niño conditions have delayed reliable rainfall and created unusually dry conditions across several major fire zones.

Authorities have said sustained rain remains the most effective way to extinguish widespread peat fires. Water bombing and ground crews can contain individual hotspots, but deeply burning peat may reignite repeatedly until the entire layer becomes saturated.

Significant rainfall is not expected consistently across all affected areas until later in the season, raising the possibility that haze will continue affecting Indonesia and neighboring countries into November.

That leaves governments across Southeast Asia dealing with a crisis whose effects cannot be contained by national borders. Singapore, Malaysia and East Timor can issue health warnings, close schools and reduce exposure, but they cannot extinguish fires burning hundreds of miles away.

The current emergency may therefore create renewed pressure for stronger regional mechanisms to prevent transboundary haze. Southeast Asian governments have discussed the problem for decades, but recurring fire seasons demonstrate the difficulty of enforcing prevention across enormous agricultural and forest areas.

Indonesia’s willingness to consider outside assistance could represent an important change if it leads to deeper cooperation. The larger test will be whether the country can move from emergency firefighting toward long-term peatland restoration and stronger enforcement against the activities that repeatedly create combustible landscapes.

Until sustained rain arrives, however, millions of people remain exposed to smoke from fires that have already been burning for months. Indonesia’s immediate challenge is to protect public health and suppress active hotspots, while its longer-term challenge is ensuring that the next severe drought does not produce another crisis on the same scale.

Key takeaways from Indonesia’s worsening wildfire and haze crisis

• Indonesia is experiencing its worst wildfire season since 2015, driven by prolonged drought, El Niño conditions and widespread peatland fires.
• More than 283,000 respiratory illness cases have been recorded across seven Indonesian provinces as hazardous smoke blankets major population centers.
• Air pollution readings approached 1,600 in parts of Central Kalimantan, several times above the threshold considered hazardous.
• Haze has spread across Southeast Asia, contributing to school closures in Malaysia and East Timor and the highest pollution readings of the year in Singapore.
• Indonesia has deployed more than 69,000 firefighting personnel, while the government is now considering offers of foreign assistance.
• President Prabowo Subianto has replaced the national disaster agency chief and launched a renewed push to restore degraded peatlands.
• Authorities say roughly 16 million of Indonesia’s 24 million hectares of peatland have been degraded, making many areas highly vulnerable to fire.
• Sustained rainfall remains crucial to ending the crisis because underground peat fires can repeatedly reignite until the soil is thoroughly saturated.