Indonesia escalates battle against fires, putrid haze

Indonesia is intensifying its fight against wildfires and the resulting hazardous haze, which has exposed over five million people to airborne toxins, according to deputy health minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono. The Ministry of Health has treated 13,500 individuals for respiratory infections in July and August alone. Vulnerable groups, including children, the elderly, pregnant women with asthma, and outdoor workers, are particularly at risk.

Non-governmental organizations have established shelters in Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan, to provide care for infants and children affected by the haze. Katharina Abi, a mother of two, sought refuge at one of these shelters due to the thick smoke plaguing her home. The Indonesian government has distributed over five million masks to combat the hazard, a measure prompted by the effects of an extreme El Nino weather event.

Cloud seeding, a technique involving the introduction of particles into clouds to induce precipitation, has also been employed with limited success in recent weeks. Despite this, disaster agency BNPB reported that they have sprayed over four million liters of water on burning areas and deployed over 8,000 kg of salt onto clouds, which managed to produce light to moderate rainfall in parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

The government aims to tackle the root causes of annual haze events caused by slash-and-burn practices for agriculture.