{
  "id": 3983640,
  "title": "Indonesia escalates battle against fires, putrid haze",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/indonesia-escalates-battle-against-fires-putrid-haze-3983640",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-28T15:14:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Borneo Post Online",
    "slug": "borneo-post-online",
    "url": "https://www.theborneopost.com/2026/08/28/indonesia-escalates-battle-against-fires-putrid-haze/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan (Aug 28) - Indonesia has ramped up efforts to combat wildfires and the resulting thick haze that has left millions struggling to breathe, officials announced on Friday. Over five million people across Borneo and Sumatra islands are directly exposed to the dangers of the noxious haze emanating from scores of blazes across the archipelago, according to Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono. More than 13,500 individuals received medical attention for respiratory infections in July and August, he added.\n\nVulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, pregnant women with asthma, and outdoor workers, have been identified as those most affected. NGOs have established two shelters in Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan on Borneo island, to accommodate affected infants and children, with plans for additional facilities. The shelters, each capable of housing just five children at once, are stocked with baby formula, oxygen tanks, medicines, and a play area. Katharina Abi, a 30-year-old mother, brought her two young children, aged one and five, to one of the shelters as thick smoke engulfed their home. \"There's a lot of smoke at my house. In the morning it's not too bad, but in the afternoon and evening there's so much dust, like there's a fire nearby. It really bothers my breathing,\" she told AFP. \"My children often have coughs and colds, maybe because there is a lot of smoke.\"\n\nEl Nino, a naturally occurring climate phenomenon, has exacerbated the situation, bringing worldwide shifts in winds, air pressure, and rainfall patterns, often resulting in drought conditions in Indonesia. The ministry has distributed more than five million masks across Indonesia, a country of 289 million people grappling with the impacts of the powerful \"Godzilla\" El Nino weather event. The Disaster Agency (BNPB) reported that the government has intensified wildfire-fighting efforts, with some success. Cloud seeding, one of the measures employed, involves releasing silver iodide, salts, or other particles into clouds to stimulate precipitation. This technique has led to light to moderate rainfall over parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan this week.",
  "summary": "PALANGKARAYA (Aug 28): Indonesia has intensified efforts to fight wildfires with cloud seeding and water bombing as thousands of people countrywide battle to breathe in the smoke and haze, officials said on Friday. More than five million people on Borneo and Sumatra islands were directly exposed to the risks of a putrid haze coming off [...] The post Indonesia escalates battle against fires,…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 5,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Borneo Post Online",
        "title": "Haze: Indonesia says coordinating with Malaysia on weather modification",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/haze-indonesia-says-coordinating-with-malaysia-on-weather-modification",
        "published": "2026-08-28T11:57:49.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Indonesia escalates battle against fires, putrid haze",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/indonesia-escalates-battle-against-fires-putrid-haze",
        "published": "2026-08-28T11:58:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Phys.org",
        "title": "Indonesia escalates battle against fires, putrid haze",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/indonesia-escalates-battle-against-fires-putrid-haze",
        "published": "2026-08-28T16:00:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Indonesia escalates battle against fires, putrid haze",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/28/indonesia-escalates-battle-against-fires-putrid-haze-3991333",
        "published": "2026-08-28T16:23:23.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}