Oxygen bus now drives around Kalimantan, Indonesia, as residents struggle to breathe amid fires
INDONESIA: With residents of Kalimantan, Indonesia, having to deal with the severe haze due to widespread forest and peat wood fires, the administration of Palangka Raya has deployed an oxygen bus staffed by medical personnel and equipped with oxygen tanks to give relief to those suffering from respiratory problems. While haze recurs regularly, this year’s conditions have been the worst since…
Residents of Kalimantan, Indonesia, have been enduring severe haze caused by forest and peat wood fires, prompting the Palangka Raya administration to deploy an oxygen bus. Staffed by medical personnel and equipped with oxygen tanks, the bus aims to provide relief to those suffering from respiratory issues. The haze has been particularly severe this year, the worst since 2015, due to the Super El Niño phenomenon.
Air pollution levels have reached over 1,000, three to four times the dangerous threshold of 300. Indonesia has seen 4,390 additional hospitalizations due to acute respiratory illnesses, and Malaysia has witnessed a 259% increase in asthma cases and a 124% rise in upper respiratory tract infections. The oxygen bus provides five to ten minutes of oxygen access and also distributes masks and vitamins.
Demonstrations across Indonesia have called for the government to declare a national emergency, address the causes of the fires, hold companies accountable, and lower the cost of living, particularly healthcare and education costs.
Written by urgent.news from The Independent Singapore's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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