Toxic wildfire haze spreads across South East Asia as 'super' El Niño intensifies

What the report says

Toxic wildfire haze is spreading across parts of South East Asia as weeks of fires continue to burn in Indonesia, BBC World News reported. The smoke has drifted into Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, exposing millions of people to unhealthy air and prompting a rise in respiratory complaints. In Indonesia alone, the health ministry said it recorded more than 50,000 respiratory infection cases linked to land and forest fires between July and August, including over 12,000 in children under five.

The BBC said the main fire zones have been in Sumatra and Indonesian Borneo since mid-July, with drought conditions intensified by a so-called Super El Niño. People interviewed by the broadcaster described thick smog, breathing problems and irritated eyes and throats, while Malaysia reported growing asthma and conjunctivitis cases as pollution worsened.

The report also placed the crisis in a wider environmental and policy context. It said Indonesia’s recurring forest and peatland fires are tied to long-running land-use change, industrial plantation expansion and drained peatlands that are more vulnerable to burning. Environmental experts cited by the BBC warned that peat fires are especially concerning because they can release large amounts of stored carbon.

Officials in Indonesia have said firefighting remains a priority, with the peak of El Niño expected in September. The BBC noted that, if conditions worsen, this year’s fires could become far more severe and threaten public health and the region’s environment on a larger scale.