{
  "id": 5753597,
  "title": "How haze from Indonesian fires impacts Southeast Asia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/how-haze-from-indonesian-fires-impacts-southeast-asia",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-05T09:38:24.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/region/2026/09/1526273/how-haze-indonesian-fires-impacts-southeast-asia"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Indonesia is grappling with thick smog caused by fires that have burned large portions of Borneo and Sumatra islands. The hazardous smoke has led to respiratory issues, school closures, and spread to neighboring Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.\n\nMost of the fires are situated on Borneo, which shares tropical jungle land with Brunei and Malaysia, in addition to Sumatra. This year, nearly 300,000 hectares of land have been burned in Indonesia, as per an estimate from Nusantara Atlas portal.\n\nIndonesia's carbon emissions have surged since late July, reaching levels similar to those of strong El Nino years in 2015 and 2019, according to Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) senior scientist Mark Parrington. The fires have emitted more than 23 million metric tons of carbon between August 28 and September 3, surpassing the 20.7 million metric tons released in the same period in 2015.\n\nThe El Nino weather phenomenon has created drier conditions in Indonesia, facilitating the spread of fires. However, slash-and-burn land-clearing practices also contribute to the damage, said David Gaveau, founder of Nusantara Atlas. The fires are challenging to control as many occur on peatlands, a wetland ecosystem with decomposed organic material that becomes combustible when dry.\n\nMore than five million people in Borneo and Sumatra are exposed to health risks from the haze, deputy health minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono stated. Over 1.4 million students were attending classes remotely due to worsening air quality, with many schools closed. In Malaysia, soaring pollution levels prompted an emergency declaration in a region of Sarawak state, leading to school closures. In the Philippines, air quality improved after a week of reaching unhealthy and severe levels, with schools closed in some areas.",
  "summary": "JAKARTA: Thick smog has blanketed parts of Indonesia as the vast archipelago for weeks battles to contain fires that have burned large swathes of Borneo and Sumatra.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Bangkok Post",
        "title": "Haze from Indonesian fires spreading again",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/haze-from-indonesian-fires-spreading-again",
        "published": "2026-09-05T05:45:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Phys.org",
        "title": "How haze from Indonesian fires impacts Southeast Asia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/05/how-haze-from-indonesian-fires-impacts-southeast-asia-5764896",
        "published": "2026-09-05T11:00:01.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}