Full Breakdown
Indonesia’s Wildfire Haze Chokes West Kalimantan
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Escalating Haze and Health Impacts
On September 16, thick haze enveloped Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan on Borneo. Residents such as 45-year-old housewife Mimi Marlina reported difficulty breathing even while wearing masks. The local public-health clinic recorded a sharp rise in respiratory-illness visits, with daily patients ranging between 80 and 120.
Background and Environmental Drivers
The haze stems from Indonesia’s most intense wildfires in 11 years, amplified by “super-El Niño” conditions that have driven extreme heat and drought. The European Union’s Copernicus Fire Emissions Watch portal reported emissions of 19.7 million metric tons during the week to September 7, accounting for more than a third of the global total. Fires burned 202,000 hectares from January to July, and environmental group YKAN estimates an additional 600,000 hectares were damaged in August.
Response Efforts
Volunteer teams under the “Rumah Oksigen” (Oxygen House) campaign have been distributing oxygen cylinders to residents and firefighters. The Indonesian government has deployed over 50 aircraft for water drops and cloud-seeding, while Japan sent three CH-47 Chinook helicopters and 180 crew members to assist.
Data and Statistics
- Over 12.5 million people across seven provinces on Borneo and Sumatra have been exposed to haze, according to health-ministry data.
- Respiratory-illness cases more than doubled to 113,336 by September 9, up from 50,891 on September 1.
- In the first 11 days of September, the Pontianak clinic treated 187 breathing-difficulty cases, compared with 422 for the entire month of August.
Verbatim Quotes
- “Visits for respiratory illness cases are on the rise due to the fires,” — Popong Solihat