More than 170,000 respiratory cases recorded in haze-choked Indonesia

More than 175,000 Indonesians have fallen ill with respiratory issues since August as the country grapples with weeks of devastating wildfires. Over 40,000 of these cases involve young children, according to the Indonesian health ministry. Smoke from the blazes has engulfed parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, causing air quality to plummet into dangerous levels.

Authorities have deployed more than 54,000 officials and numerous aircraft, including jets from Japan's Self-Defense Forces, to combat the fires in Borneo and Sumatra. However, the enormous expanse and tricky peatland terrain pose significant challenges to extinguishing the flames. Indonesia's Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya emphasized that all resources are being mobilized to quell the fires, mitigate smoke impacts, and safeguard public health.

The El Nino phenomenon, dubbed "Godzilla," has exacerbated the situation by creating exceptionally dry conditions. This year's wildfire season has seen an alarming 734,000 hotspots, nearly 30% more than in 2019, when the country experienced one of its worst ever wildfire events. Over 895,657 hectares of land have been scorched since January, an area nearly six times larger than London.

The fires have forced school closures and led to a sharp rise in hospital admissions. Health officials reported that the number of wildfire-related respiratory cases jumped from 50,891 on September 1 to 113,336 by September 9. The smog has also taken a heavy toll on wildlife, including critically endangered orangutans. A foundation documented an orangutan struggling on a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan, a province severely affected by the fires, before it was treated and unfortunately passed away.

Indigenous and civil society groups in West Kalimantan filed a lawsuit against the central government and local authorities, alleging negligence in addressing the wildfires. Despite several rounds of cloud-seeding operations involving Japanese forces, experts remain divided on the effectiveness of this approach. In Sarawak, Malaysia, authorities conducted a five-day cloud-seeding campaign to combat the haze while simultaneously boosting water levels at hydropower dams.

The haze has even reached the Philippines and Singapore, prompting local authorities to advise residents to remain indoors and issue daily haze advisories.