Indonesia is experiencing a severe wildfire catastrophe centered in Borneo, where thousands of active fire hotspots have burned approximately 200,000 hectares of forest and farmland since early July. The crisis coincides with a Super El Niño weather pattern that has intensified regional drought conditions, creating transnational haze that represents the worst air quality event in the region in more than a decade. Smoke and smog have spread across international borders, affecting air quality in Singapore, Manila, and Kuala Lumpur.
The particular concern surrounding these fires relates to the region’s peatland ecosystems. Borneo contains a 4.5-million-hectare tropical peatland area that normally functions as a massive carbon reservoir due to waterlogged conditions that prevent decomposition. When peatlands burn, they release centuries of accumulated carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and methane into the atmosphere—phenomena researchers refer to as “carbon bombs.” Some peat deposits in Kalimantan exceed 20 metres in depth and can contain more than 6,000 tonnes of carbon per hectare, equivalent to the annual emissions of approximately 4,800 cars.
The health impacts have been substantial across the region. Air pollution indices in affected areas have soared to levels nearly 75 times higher than World Health Organization recommendations. Between July and August, Indonesia’s Health Ministry documented over 50,000 respiratory infection cases linked to land and forest fires, with more than 12,000 cases occurring in children under five years old. The pollution contains toxic carbon monoxide and fine particulate matter that can penetrate lung tissue and enter the bloodstream, causing additional health complications.
Volunteer firefighters, many from indigenous Dayak and Banjar communities, have undertaken dangerous efforts to combat the blazes using hand tools, portable pumps, and improvised irrigation systems to reach subterranean fires. Two volunteers have reportedly died from health deterioration caused by fire suppression work. The fires are rooted in decades of land-use changes dating to the Suharto era, when large forest and peatland areas were converted to logging, plantations, and development projects. Indigenous communities engaged in traditional controlled-burn farming practices have historically been blamed for fires despite their careful adherence to customary land management techniques.
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