Haze turns Indonesian skies orange, shuts East Timor schools

On Thursday, the skies over Indonesia's Palangkaraya turned an apocalyptic yellow and orange due to thick haze from wildfires, reducing visibility to just a few dozen meters. This air pollution crisis prompted nearby East Timor to close schools for three days. Malaysia, Singapore, Medan, and Jakarta also ranked among the world's most polluted major cities.

In Palangkaraya, motorbike taxi driver Heri struggled to breathe through the smoke, which had been thick for days. East Timorese in the capital Dili, wearing masks, welcomed the government's decision to close schools, as the pollution had been especially severe. Indonesia's regular dry season wildfires this year have been exceptionally severe due to a strong El Nino-induced drought, causing smoke to spread across Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and East Timor.

The Indonesian government has deployed thousands of firefighters to combat the blazes, but has struggled to control them, especially those burning in peatlands, which are difficult to extinguish.