September 8, 2026:Residents across Indonesia’s Borneo island are struggling with toxic smoke from severe wildfires, with the impact also spreading to neighboring Malaysia. Fueled by prolonged drought, the fires are putting access to clean water, fresh air and education for millions of people at serious risk.
French news agency AFP reported the situation on Monday, September 7.
Sharifah Hatifah, a teacher at a junior high school in the provincial capital Pontianak, said classes for around 600 students have been disrupted after schools were closed because of severe air pollution. The 57-year-old teacher said it was the first time in her three decades of teaching that schools had remained closed for such an extended period.
Hundreds of schools have been shut after air pollution levels reached dangerous levels. Around 200,000 students are currently attending classes online from home.
Kubu Raya regional health agency chief Iwansyah said more than 1,400 people had received hospital treatment for acute respiratory infections caused by toxic smoke in the first days of September. The figure stood at 6,396 in August.
Authorities are distributing around 1,000 masks every day to help people cope with the situation, but supplies are rapidly running out.
The prolonged drought has also created shortages of clean water alongside the wildfires. So far, 225 cases of diarrhea have been reported.
Yonas, deputy head of Lintang Batang village outside Pontianak, said fires had been burning in peatlands for four days. Local residents have pooled their own money to purchase a water pump and pipes to help fight the flames. However, they are facing shortages of protective equipment, masks and food.
With water pipes in short supply, volunteers have been forced to use buckets in their efforts to contain the fires.
The smoke has reached levels several times higher than the safe limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), posing serious health risks, particularly to children, pregnant women, older people and those suffering from asthma.
Source: AFP