Indonesian Forest Fire Haze Blankets Borneo, Malaysia Issues Emergency Alerts

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Smoke from raging forest and peat fires in Indonesia has pushed air quality in parts of Malaysian Borneo into the hazardous range, triggering a spike in respiratory cases and forcing authorities to cancel outdoor Independence Day celebrations.

The toxic haze from fires in Indonesia's Kalimantan region on Borneo island and Sumatra has blanketed Malaysia's Sarawak state for most of August. The smoke has also spread to peninsular Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. This is considered the most severe haze episode in the region since 2015, when fires in Indonesia exposed tens of millions of people to toxic smoke and sickened more than 500,000 with respiratory ailments.

On Tuesday (local time), six areas in Sarawak recorded hazardous air quality readings, with the Air Pollutant Index (API) exceeding 300. Levels above 100 are considered unhealthy. In Kuching, the state capital, the index reached 407, while in Serian, a town near the border with Kalimantan, it hit 408.

Mia Emylia Hassan, a 33-year-old mother of two in Kuching, said the smell of smoke is everywhere. "The air here is very thick. It smells of smoke and everything is white," she said. Visibility from her home has dropped to about a kilometer. "We haven't seen blue skies for over a month."

The haze descended in early August, just after her 10-month-old daughter was discharged from the hospital after treatment for a lung infection. "She can't recover properly because her lungs are still developing. She's been on medication the whole month and has had coughing and vomiting spells." The family has twice brought the girl to the emergency room because she couldn't breathe. "It's a mini heart attack each time," she said.

Asthma cases surge

Malaysia's Health Ministry reported a sharp rise in cases nationwide. In the week from August 23 to 29, asthma cases rose to 1,811, up from 219 the previous week. Conjunctivitis cases also increased to 720, up from 146.

In peninsular Malaysia, Karen-Michaela Tan, 52, an asthma patient living near Kuala Lumpur, said she was "wheezing" and "short of breath climbing stairs" within a week of the haze thickening. She has needed two consecutive puffs of bronchodilator and a high dose of steroids to stop the wheezing.

Tan's home is sealed, and two air purifiers run continuously. Still, she said she "battles a burning throat and dry nose even with these measures."

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has activated its highest transboundary haze alert, Level 3, for the southern region. The alert reflects a high risk of severe transboundary haze. ASEAN cited an uptick in fire hotspots and prolonged dry weather due to a strengthening El Nino.

The toxic smoke forced Sarawak to cancel outdoor Independence Day celebrations on Monday, and officials warned of stricter restrictions. State deputy chief minister Douglas Uggah Embas said any area with readings above 500 would be placed under a local state of emergency, and all public and private offices would close. "Only essential services will be allowed to operate," he said.

In contrast, in Kuala Lumpur, skies that were gray for much of the month cleared, showing the first blue skies in a week just as the National Day parade began early morning.

Schools have also been severely affected. Under Education Ministry rules, outdoor activities are suspended when the API hits 100, and schools must close when it reaches 200. On August 20 and 21, nearly 600 schools in and around Kuching were closed, affecting about 200,000 primary and secondary students. On August 28, another 30 schools in Sarawak were closed, leaving over 4,000 children at home. This week, schools were closed for the National Day holiday.

Youth sports have also been disrupted. Yap Kai Jinn, 31, a coach at the Square One Football academy in Kuala Lumpur, said the club has canceled all training sessions and matches since last week. "Together with the parents, we felt it's unhealthy and unsafe to play in these conditions. We're now looking for an indoor facility, and for outdoor activities we'll just have to wait and hope for better weather."

Fires increase in West Kalimantan

The haze impact is even more severe in Indonesia. Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono said about 13,500 people have been treated for respiratory tract infections in July and August, while about 5.5 million people on Borneo and Sumatra islands have been directly exposed to the toxic smoke.

According to the government, fires from January to July have burned more than 200,000 hectares, an area three times the size of the capital Jakarta. In July alone, nearly 95,000 hectares were burned. Despite control efforts, fires continue to increase in many parts of Indonesian Borneo.

Berton Panjaitan, an official at Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency, said the number of hotspots in West Kalimantan nearly doubled on Monday, rising by 3,553 to 7,377, while active fires increased by 88 to 104, and visibility dropped below one kilometer. In Central Kalimantan, hotspots decreased by 147 to 5,244, but the number of fires increased by 16 to 72.

Cities in Kalimantan also recorded hazardous air. Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan had an Air Quality Index of 780 on Monday, according to IQAir, a Swiss company that monitors pollution data. Pontianak in West Kalimantan hit 593.

Analysts say the fires are largely intentional, as plantation companies and smallholder farmers burn carbon-rich rainforest and peatlands to clear land for palm oil, farming, and pulp production. The practice is illegal. Indonesian police said last week they had arrested 72 people suspected of causing recent fires.

Super El Nino

Researchers warn that Southeast Asians should brace for a prolonged fire season. Helena Varkkey, an expert on transboundary haze at the University of Malaya, said El Nino – a natural phenomenon that alters winds, air pressure, and rainfall across the globe – appears to be heading toward "super strong" intensity. In Southeast Asia, "a stronger El Nino means hotter and drier weather, so any fires that do occur will have greater and longer-lasting regional impact."

Jayaprakash Muralitharan, a Malaysian atmospheric scientist, believes the worst is yet to come. "The haze will be more severe and prolonged because hot weather has started much earlier than last year. El Nino has made conditions drier. Now, peat is drying out."

Peat can make fires persistent. What appears to be extinguished on the surface can smolder underground for weeks before flaring up again, and only prolonged heavy rain can soak the soil and fully extinguish them. Until then, "human intervention is just a temporary solution. This will continue until the end of September or October when the rains come. I hope the rains will come by then," Muralitharan said.