Kalimantan wildfires intensify as haze drifts toward Malaysia and Singapore
Fires across Indonesian Kalimantan have burned through tens of thousands of acres, sending thick smoke across Borneo and into neighbouring countries. The haze has reached Malaysia and put Singapore on alert, according to the supplied report. Residents in the affected areas say visibility has fallen sharply and daily life is being affected by the smoke.
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Health ministry data cited in the report shows a steep rise in respiratory cases in West Kalimantan, with about 5,000 emergency room visits a week since July. That compares with about 500 a week in the first half of the year. The report says children are still going to school and adults to work, but many people are suffering from the effects of breathing in polluted air for long periods.
Local concern is growing over the impact on vulnerable groups, including babies, older people and pregnant women. Some classes have already been suspended, and parents are urging schools to move to online learning. The smoke has also become a regional issue, with Malaysia and Brunei agreeing to raise it at Asean as forest and peatland fires continue to drift across borders.
The fires are part of a recurring dry-season pattern in Kalimantan, where land clearing for plantations has often been linked to slash-and-burn methods. Indonesia is the world's largest palm oil producer, and fires in the region have long been associated with land-use pressure and peatland burning. Authorities say this year's super El Niño may be making conditions worse, with the weather pattern expected to peak in September.
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The report says experts warn the worst may still be ahead as the dry season continues into October and rain is not expected before November. On Tuesday, Kuala Lumpur was the most polluted city in the world, followed by Jakarta, according to the air quality monitoring company cited in the report. Almost 600 schools in the Malaysian state of Sarawak on Borneo closed because of hot and dry conditions, underlining how quickly the smoke is affecting the wider region.
What happens next will depend on whether rainfall arrives soon enough to slow the fires and whether authorities can contain new outbreaks. The scale of the haze also raises questions about public health planning, school closures and regional coordination if air quality worsens further. For now, the situation remains fluid, with the dry season still under way and the risk of more smoke spreading across borders.
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