'Breathing toxin every day': Indonesians choked by haze feel helpless
STRUGGLING to breathe through the acrid haze emanating from wildfires on Indonesia’s Borneo island, residents told AFP on Wednesday they feared for their health but had little to do but wait out the foul-smelling hazard.
Indonesians living in the vicinity of fires on Borneo island are enduring daily breathing difficulties due to the thick, acrid haze produced by the raging forest fires. The Indonesian government, sharing the island with Malaysia and Brunei, is struggling to control the wildfires, which have been exacerbated by the strong El Nino weather phenomenon.
The situation has worsened over the past week, with the air quality index in Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan province, peaking at 1,100 – four times the hazardous limit. Despite the dangerous conditions, residents including Anggita Putri and Djunita Permata Indah are forced to continue working, leaving their children at home or in daycare where they remain exposed to the smoke.
The health ministry has reported over 113,000 cases of upper respiratory tract infections across seven provinces since the fires began. Local authorities are intensifying efforts to combat the haze, including water bombing and cloud seeding. The Indonesian government has vowed to hold corporations responsible for the fires, with President Prabowo Subianto threatening to revoke their permits and investigate any criminal involvement.
For many on Borneo, the haze has not only impacted their health but also disrupted their livelihoods, with some like snack seller Desia forced to stop working and keep her children indoors with an air purifier.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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