Indonesian Fires Drive a Regional Air-Quality Emergency

Forest and peatland fires across Indonesian Borneo have overwhelmed firefighters and generated hazardous haze, with West Kalimantan enduring more than two months without rain amid a powerful El Niño.[2][4] PM2.5 in Pontianak exceeded 500 micrograms per cubic metre at one point, hundreds of schools closed and roughly 200,000 pupils shifted to home learning.[4] Smoke has also affected neighbouring Malaysia and reached the Philippines.[2][4] Why it matters: The fires have become a cross-border public-health crisis: Indonesia has reported tens of thousands of associated respiratory infections, while Greenpeace estimates that 35 million people nationally are exposed to toxic haze.[2][4] The crisis also highlights how drought interacts with forest degradation, land clearing and drained peatlands that can burn underground for extended periods.[4] Key insights: More than 285,000 hectares have burned across Indonesia this year, including 38,000 hectares in West Kalimantan, according to figures cited by France 24.[4] | An Air Quality Index reading in Pontianak exceeded 900, while visibility sometimes fell below one kilometre and as low as 200 to 500 metres.[2] | Experts attribute the conditions to a stronger-than-usual El Niño alongside climate change, forest degradation and slash-and-burn land clearing.[4] | Draining peat for oil-palm and pulpwood plantations leaves it dry and flammable, according to Greenpeace Indonesia.[4] Cheatsheet facts: What changed: Intense fires and haze have spread across Indonesian Borneo and beyond, closing schools and driving pollution to hazardous levels.[2][4] | Why now: More than 60 days without rain and a strong El Niño have depleted water sources, with dry conditions expected to peak in the coming weeks.[2] | Watch next: Track rainfall, PM2.5 readings, burned-area updates and whether Indonesia declares the fires a national disaster as campaigners have requested.[2][4]