Indonesia is currently battling its most severe wildfire season in years, as a powerful El Niño weather pattern exacerbates traditional land-clearing practices. The resulting toxic haze has spread across international borders, affecting air quality in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. While the government has pledged to enforce bans on slash-and-burn agriculture, budget reallocations have significantly reduced funding for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency.
Record-Breaking Conditions and Regional Impact
As of August 2026, more than 895,000 hectares of land have burned across Indonesia, according to data from the Nusantara Atlas. This is the largest area scorched for that period since monitoring began in 2019, covering a territory nearly the size of Yellowstone National Park. The fires, concentrated heavily on the island of Borneo, have released over 100 megatons of carbon, according to the Global Fire Emissions Database.
The environmental crisis is causing significant regional tension. Air quality in neighboring countries has deteriorated, with thick smog forcing school closures and flight diversions in past cycles.
Government Budget Shifts and Enforcement Challenges
President Prabowo Subianto has moved to centralize disaster response, including the dissolution of the Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM). Funding for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency has been reduced to 491 billion rupiah ($27.4 million), approximately one-tenth of the 2024 allocation. The government stated that these adjustments involve routine costs such as travel and refreshments, rather than operational emergency response.
Environmental scientist David Gaveau, founder of TheTreeMap, attributes the scale of the disaster to a legacy of 50 years of forest degradation and peatland conversion. While large palm oil producers like Golden Agri-Resources Ltd. and Wilmar International Ltd. maintain zero-burning policies, smallholder farmers often rely on fire as a low-cost method for land clearing. Economic damages related to the fires and associated health impacts are estimated by the Center of Economic and Law Studies to have reached 123 trillion rupiah.
Did You Know? The 1997 wildfire season, also during an El Niño year, scorched an estimated 11.7 million hectares—an area roughly equivalent to the size of the state of Ohio—before seasonal rains finally arrived in December.
Future Outlook for the 2026 Burning Season
The severity of the remainder of the season depends heavily on the timing of the wet season. If rains are delayed until late in the year, the number of hotspots could continue to climb, potentially mirroring the catastrophic levels seen in 2015. Volunteers and first responders, such as those working near Palangkaraya, continue to work daily shifts to soak peatlands, though they remain dependent on natural weather patterns to end the cycle of ignition.
Causes and accountability for regional haze
Why is the haze affecting neighboring countries?
The smoke from Indonesian forest and peatland fires is carried by wind, blanketing cities in Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines with toxic smog.
What is the role of El Niño in these fires?
El Niño disrupts the normal east-to-west flow of air near the equator, which typically brings rain to Indonesia. This results in prolonged drought, creating tinderbox conditions in peatlands that would otherwise remain moist.
Are companies held accountable for the fires?
The government is currently investigating more than 160 individuals and 95 companies. However, holding parties accountable remains difficult due to opaque ownership structures, particularly among the 40% of the industry managed by smallholder farmers.
How will the timing of the upcoming rainy season influence the total environmental impact of this year’s fires?
Keep reading