The city of Palangkaraya on the island of Borneo has been surrounded by wildfires for months, creating hazardous air quality conditions that have forced residents into extreme protective measures. Approximately 300,000 people live in the affected area, where daily life now centers on monitoring air quality and limiting exposure to smoke. Families are sealing their homes with plastic sheeting, confining children to bedrooms equipped with air purifiers, and in some cases relying on oxygen tanks and nebulisers to breathe safely.
Residents report that the smoke permeates homes despite protective efforts, with one mother describing how her five-month-old son has been ill throughout his short life due to respiratory complications from the air quality. She has kept her children isolated in a single bedroom for roughly half of the past four months, moving essential items including a television and eating areas into that space. Local volunteers have established 14 community shelters equipped with air purifiers and medical equipment to serve vulnerable populations including children and the elderly during the worst pollution days.
The fires, which began in July, have burned close to 2 million hectares of forest and peatland across Indonesia. Many blazes were intentionally started using slash-and-burn land-clearing methods for agricultural purposes, particularly palm oil production. Unusually severe dry conditions attributed to an El Niño weather pattern have exacerbated the crisis. Air quality measurements in Palangkaraya regularly reach levels of 300 micrograms per cubic metre of PM2.5, a particulate matter fine enough to enter the bloodstream, far exceeding the World Health Organization’s recommended 24-hour average of 15 micrograms.
The toxic haze has extended across Southeast Asia, affecting millions of people in Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Timor-Leste, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Schools have closed and tens of thousands have required hospitalization for respiratory issues across the region. The Indonesian government has deployed firefighters and promised to pursue companies involved in arson, though similar commitments over past decades have not resolved the recurring crisis.
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