A new report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air documented substantial mortality linked to air pollution in Indonesia during September. The study, published Thursday, attributed 3,560 deaths to toxic smoke from forest and land fires, while an additional 1,750 deaths were connected to chronic emissions from urban and industrial pollution sources. Overall, air pollution-related fatalities increased by 42 percent in September compared to August, when approximately 3,740 deaths were recorded, bringing the monthly total to 5,310.
The geographic distribution of fire-related deaths showed significant variation across the archipelago. In Kalimantan on the island of Borneo and across Sumatra, the regions most severely affected by the fires, toxic fire smoke was responsible for 94-99 percent and more than 80 percent of air pollution-related deaths respectively. By contrast, deaths on the southern island of Java remained predominantly associated with urban and industrial pollution sources rather than wildfire smoke.
The scale of population exposure to dangerous air quality reached unprecedented levels. A record 58 million citizens experienced air quality conditions classified as unhealthy to hazardous during the month. In Kalimantan alone, the number of people exposed to hazardous air quality levels nearly tripled from 2.8 million to 6.4 million during the most severe days of September.
The wildfires have occurred amid an El Nino weather pattern that has intensified severe drought conditions across Indonesia. These circumstances have sparked widespread fires and triggered significant deforestation. The resulting toxic smog has extended beyond Indonesia’s borders, degrading air quality in neighbouring countries including Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and East Timor.
The Indonesian government has faced mounting criticism regarding its fire response efforts. In a Wednesday statement, authorities defended their approach by highlighting deployment of over 72,000 personnel conducting cloud-seeding and firefighting operations, activation of more than 2,100 medical professionals in affected regions, and distribution of 5.3 million protective masks.
Article Attribution | Read More at Article Source
Article summary produced by Claude AI