Forest fires rage on Borneo as Indonesia faces health crisis
PONTIANAK, Indonesia — Indonesian housewife Mimi Marlina rode a motorbike through thickening haze blanketing the city of Pontianak on Borneo island, making a foray to buy groceries and supplies as the Southeast Asian nation battles raging forest fires, reports BritPanorama.
The province of West Kalimantan on Borneo, home to Pontianak, is one of the areas worst hit by Indonesia’s most intense wildfires in 11 years as “super-El Niño” weather conditions drive up temperatures and cause punishing droughts.
Health officials are reporting a worrying rise in respiratory problems among residents. Despite wearing a mask, Marlina noted her own struggle to breathe amid the haze, which often pushes air quality to hazardous levels.
Efforts to alleviate the crisis include volunteers distributing cylinders of oxygen in a campaign known as “Rumah Oksigen,” or Oxygen House. The impact of the fires extends beyond Indonesian borders, affecting air quality in neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.
“Visits for respiratory illness cases are on the rise due to the fires,” said Popong Solihat, head of a public health clinic in Pontianak. Health ministry data indicates that over 12.5 million people have been exposed to haze from fires across seven provinces in Indonesia.
The number of individuals experiencing wildfire-related respiratory issues has more than doubled to 113,336 by September 9, up from 50,891 at the beginning of the month. Solihat’s clinic treated 187 cases of breathing difficulties in the first 11 days of September, compared to 422 for all of August.
Among those receiving oxygen was Suriana, a 54-year-old resident of Kubu Raya, who reported a decline in her health as air quality worsened. “I often feel short of breath when exposed to the smoke,” she said, adding that conditions seem to deteriorate especially during the mornings and evenings when the haze is thickest.
Indonesia’s emissions of 19.7 million metric tons in the week leading to September 7 accounted for more than a third of the global total, according to the European Union’s Copernicus climate monitoring service. From January to July, fires consumed nearly 500,000 acres, with additional damage of 1.4 million acres estimated for August.
The Indonesian government has responded by escalating firefighting efforts, deploying over 50 aircraft to drop water on the flames and conducting cloud seeding operations. Last week, Japan also contributed support with three CH-47 Chinook helicopters and 180 crew members.
As the crisis unfolds, the long-term health implications for affected populations remain a pressing concern, with many anticipating further health evaluations as fires continue to ravage the region.
