'Gift from God': Rain brings relief from Indonesia toxic haze

PONTIANAK, Sept 29 - Rainfall recently experienced in Indonesia’s Pontianak city has alleviated the city’s population suffering from weeks of hazardous, toxic haze caused by uncontrolled wildfires on Borneo island. These devastating fires have ravaged extensive areas of peat and forest regions on Borneo and neighboring Sumatra island, releasing the harmful haze into the atmosphere, which has also drifted into neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.

The severe smog had restricted outdoor activities in Pontianak, a city of approximately 700,000 inhabitants, leading schools to close and thousands of respiratory cases to be recorded in the area since last month, according to local authorities. In response, residents have expressed their gratitude for the recent rainfall. Lilis Suryani, a housewife, remarked that she could instantly perceive the improvement after the rain as the air quality had enhanced and visibility had become clearer.

University student Uray Rosa Febrianti, 23, conveyed her appreciation stating, "The rain means a lot... not only to cool the air, but also to give hope that the situation is beginning to improve. I see it as a gift from God." Although firefighters, assisted by volunteers, have been deployed across affected areas and utilized cloud-seeding and water-bombing techniques, their efforts have not yielded significant success.

The concentration of PM2.5 pollution in Pontianak reached more than 23 times the safe limit set by the World Health Organization at one point, as reported by IQAir, a Swiss-based monitoring organization. Earlier this month, the levels were an alarming 100 times higher than the recommended limit. PM2.5 particles, being minute enough to penetrate deep into the lungs and circulate in the bloodstream, pose a grave threat to health.

Indonesia frequently contends with wildfires during the dry season, typically peaking between July and September. This year's wildfire outbreak has been exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon, anticipated to be one of the strongest in decades. Experts further attribute the intensified fires to slash-and-burn land-clearing practices, which have altered the typically fire-resistant landscape.