South Borneo Wildfires Threaten Children’s Health Amid El Niño

Wildfires Threaten Communities and Peatlands Across Borneo and Sumatra

Across Indonesia, community and government firefighters have been battling fires since the main dry season began in July, with many blazes burning across carbon-rich peatlands in the low-lying deltas and plains of Borneo and Sumatra. Regional reporting indicates that over past years, peatlands in Borneo have undergone drainage to establish oil palm plantations, satisfying the escalating worldwide consumer appetite for palm oil. While fire is often used as a cheap way to clear land, the flames can quickly run out of control across drained peatlands that become tinderboxes when desiccated by El Niño-fueled drought, as noted in coverage from Mongabay and EnviroLink.

In Pengayuan village, located in South Kalimantan province, resident Siti Sarah experienced the sudden danger firsthand on August 18. Though a fire initially seemed a safe distance away, the flames reached within 100 meters (330 feet) of her home in a heartbeat. “The fire seemed to leap up,” Siti told Mongabay Indonesia. “All of a sudden it was right there — it grew so fast.” Cries for help echoed as Siti joined the community’s firefighting press, helping put out a blaze by whacking it with a piece of wood. Two days later, firefighters scrambled to extinguish another blaze on village grounds before it could reach homes.

Severe Health Risks and Surging Respiratory Cases

The resulting smoke has blanketed towns and villages, sickening residents and triggering international concern as southeasterly winds carry pollution across borders into Malaysia and Singapore, prompting health advisories in both countries. In western Borneo, animal rescuers are scrambling to save orangutans stranded by the fires. For local families, the health toll has been immediate. Figures recorded by the South Kalimantan provincial health department revealed that medical personnel logged 36,196 acute respiratory infection diagnoses between July 12 and August 15 within the province, which has a population of approximately 4.4 million.

Siti Sarah, who was diagnosed with childhood asthma, has struggled to breathe as smoke slips under doors and seeps through windows. “These particles are extremely fine,” said Syamsul Arifin, the dean of Lambung Mangkurat University’s medical faculty. “They can’t be trapped by nasal hairs, so they’re inhaled down to the alveoli [in the lungs] and into the bloodstream.” Syamsul added that acute respiratory infection is the most frequently reported morbidity during forest and land fires, causing systemic inflammation and disorders of various organs. Raina, a 29-year-old mother living in Pemurus Dalam village, also in South Kalimantan province, watched helplessly as her 5-year-old son, Muhammad Raihan, developed a cough in July that worsened into pneumonia after weeks of exposure to high heat and smoke.

Historical Precedents and Future Projections

The current crisis draws comparisons to the Southeast Asian wildfire catastrophe of 2015, which was also fueled by a strong El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole. Throughout that timeframe, carbon dioxide output stemming from Indonesian blazes exceeded the emissions generated by the entire American economy across multiple days, while concurrently being projected to have triggered upwards of 100,000 premature fatalities spanning Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia. Experts and residents warn that without significant intervention, the cycle of agricultural burning and peatland degradation is likely to repeat.

Looking ahead, a strong El Niño is expected to prolong Indonesia’s main dry season, possibly beyond October, which may continue to elevate risks to people and wildlife from wildfires. Diauddin, the South Kalimantan health department head, noted that vulnerable groups such as children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with lung and coronary disease need greater attention as smoke blankets the region. Residents like Raina and Siti have publicly urged the government to take a more serious approach to preventing annual fires from recurring, while analysts expect that regional health advisories and cross-border haze monitoring will remain active as long as the dry conditions persist.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is causing the wildfires in Indonesia?
The fires are burning across carbon-rich peatlands that have been drained for oil palm plantations over recent decades. These drained ecosystems act as tinderboxes when desiccated by El Niño-fueled drought, and fire is frequently used as a cheap method to clear land.

How are neighboring countries affected by the smoke?
Southeasterly winds have carried smoke from Indonesia’s wildfires across borders into Malaysia and Singapore, prompting both nations to issue health advisories for their citizens.

What are the primary health risks reported during the fires?
Health officials have reported tens of thousands of acute respiratory infection cases. Medical experts note that fine airborne particles bypass nasal hairs and penetrate deep into the lungs and bloodstream, exacerbating conditions like asthma and contributing to severe risks such as pneumonia in young children.

How are local communities coping with the persistent smoke and encroaching flames during the ongoing dry season?