Indonesia Wildfires Leave 175,000 Ill as Toxic Smog Spreads Across Southeast Asia

About 175,000 people in Indonesia have suffered respiratory illnesses since August as the country battles widespread wildfires, according to the Indonesian Ministry of Health.

More than 40,000 cases involved young children, with illnesses ranging from coughs to serious conditions including bronchitis and pneumonia.

Forest fires have blanketed parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in toxic smog, pushing air-quality readings into the “unhealthy” category.

Indonesia Deploys Thousands to Fight Fires

Indonesia has deployed more than 54,000 personnel and dozens of aircraft to water-bomb fires across the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Authorities say the country’s vast territory and difficult peatland conditions are making the fires particularly difficult to extinguish.

“All forces continue to move, from the air to the ground,” Indonesia’s Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said on Monday.

“Everything is being done to extinguish the fires, reduce the impact of smoke and, most importantly, protect the public from the threat of bushfires and land fires.”

Indonesia regularly battles wildfires during the dry season, which lasts from July to October each year. This year, the so-called “Godzilla” El Niño phenomenon has intensified the fires and haze by creating extremely dry conditions.

Wildfire Hotspots Exceed 2019 Levels

Independent forest-monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas detected about 734,000 hotspots across Indonesia as of Wednesday. That figure is more than 30% higher than the number recorded in 2019, one of the country’s worst wildfire seasons.

At least 895,657 hectares of land—nearly six times the size of Greater London—have burned since January.

Schools have closed across Indonesia because of the wildfires, while the number of people requiring hospital treatment continues to rise.

Ministry of Health statistics show that the number of people suffering from bushfire-related respiratory illnesses more than doubled, from 50,891 on September 1 to 113,336 by September 9.

Toxic Smog Threatens Endangered Orangutans

The toxic smog is also harming wildlife, including the endangered orangutan.

Late last month, the Indonesia-based Wildlife Foundation shared footage of an orangutan writhing on the ground at a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan, one of the worst-hit provinces. A farmer found and rescued the great ape, which received first aid for hypoxia, but it later died.