‘Like smoking a cigarette’: Indonesia chokes on haze as blazes intensify amid super ‘El Niño’

Key Points:

• Fires in Indonesian Borneo's Kalimantan region have caused severe haze, reducing visibility to five meters and causing respiratory issues for thousands, with emergency room visits rising tenfold since July.
• The blazes, often linked to "slash and burn" land clearing for palm oil plantations, are worsened by a "super" El Niño weather phenomenon, with experts warning the dry season and fires may persist until November.
• The haze has become a regional problem, affecting Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore, leading to school closures and air quality alerts, with Kuala Lumpur recently ranked the most polluted city globally.
• Indonesian authorities have responded by revoking business permits of suspected companies and arresting individuals accused of starting fires, but public frustration remains over perceived government inaction.
• Experts emphasize that peatland degradation from plantation drainage systems makes fires harder to control and call for preventive measures focusing on halting peatland conversion and restoring ecosystems to mitigate future fires.