Indonesia wildfires trigger over 170,000 respiratory cases

Some 175,000 people in Indonesia have suffered from respiratory illnesses since August, according to the country's health ministry, as authorities continue battling wildfires that have raged for weeks. The toxic smog has blanketed parts of the nation alongside neighboring Malaysia and Singapore, driving air quality indices down to unhealthy levels.

More than 40,000 of the recorded cases involve toddlers experiencing ailments ranging from simple coughs and bronchitis to severe conditions like pneumonia. In response, Indonesia has deployed over 54,000 officials and dozens of jets to Borneo and Sumatra for water bombing operations, though expansive territory and challenging peatland terrain complicate firefighting efforts.

This year's fires have been severely worsened by a powerful El Nino phenomenon, creating extreme dry conditions. Independent forest monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas detected roughly 734,000 hotspots across the country as of Wednesday, marking a figure over 30% higher than during 2019. Furthermore, at least 895,657 hectares of land—nearly six times the size of Greater London—have been destroyed since January.

"Everything is being done to extinguish the fires, reduce the impact of the smoke, and, most importantly, protect the public from the threat of forest and land fires."

Indonesian authorities

Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event

The toxic haze has also inflicted severe damage on local wildlife, including critically endangered orangutans. Late last month, a wildlife foundation shared footage of an orangutan struggling on a palm oil plantation in West Kalimantan, one of the hardest-hit provinces. The ape was rescued and treated for hypoxia but later died. Meanwhile, indigenous and civil society groups filed a class action lawsuit against the central and local governments accusing them of negligence.