Fire and haze threaten health of millions in Indonesia

PEKANBARU, Indonesia - Thick haze and wildfires have forced millions of Indonesians to risk their health, officials reported on Wednesday. El Nino-fueled blazes on Borneo and Sumatra islands have caused school closures and led to thousands of medical treatments due to respiratory infections.

The health ministry warned that 3.4 million people in seven provinces on the islands were at risk. Thick smog blanketed Pekanbaru, Sumatra's Riau province capital, leading authorities to close dozens of schools. Residents like 38-year-old Abdullah said they feared going outside, wearing masks when they did.

In Jambi, Sumatra, a homemaker with a four-year-old child reported coughing and difficulty breathing. The local government ordered home schooling for the week. The health ministry distributed over 260,000 face masks to affected areas.

President Prabowo Subianto announced deployment of helicopters, aircraft, water pumps, and personnel to battle the fires, believing control could be regained within two weeks. Police arrested 72 suspects for starting fires, with over 200,000 hectares burned between January and July, an area three times larger than Jakarta.

El Nino weather patterns have caused worldwide changes, prompting Indonesians to pray for rain during the Muslim celebration of Prophet Mohammed's birth. Malaysia offered assistance, and Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur briefly became the second-most polluted city globally due to poor air quality.