Context:

Rising wildfires in Indonesia, propelled by a super-El Niño-driven drought, have produced dense haze across Borneo and Sumatra, triggering health crises as oxygen shortages and respiratory illnesses surge. In West Kalimantan, residents and firefighters rely on door-to-door oxygen distributions amid hazardous air quality, while neighboring Singapore and Malaysia report unhealthy conditions from transboundary smoke. Health data show a sharp rise in breathing difficulties and exposure, with millions affected and clinics overwhelmed. Indonesia has intensified firefighting, deploying aircraft and cloud seeding, with international aid including Japan's CH-47 support; the situation remains unresolved as fires persist and weather remains unfavorable.

Dive Deeper:

• West Kalimantan on Borneo is experiencing its most intense wildfires in 11 years, driven by exceptionally hot and dry conditions linked to a super-El Niño, intensifying the smoke and health risks for local residents such as Pontianak households.

• Local volunteers launched the Rumah Oksigen program, delivering oxygen cylinders door-to-door to residents and firefighters struggling to breathe as air quality deteriorates and respiratory illnesses rise.

• Health ministry data show more than 12.5 million people across seven Indonesian provinces on Borneo and Sumatra have been exposed to haze, with wildfire-related respiratory cases doubling from 50,891 on Sept 1 to 113,336 by Sept 9.

• Clinics report rising daily visits for breathing problems, with 80–120 cases per day in early September and 187 cases in the first 11 days of the month, compared with 422 in all of August.

• Emissions reached 19.7 million metric tons in the week ending Sept 7, accounting for over a third of the global total, underscoring the scale of the fires and their climate impact.

• From January through July, fires burned almost 500,000 acres, and the environmental group YKAN estimates an additional 1.4 million acres damaged in August, indicating a rapidly expanding burn area.

• Indonesia has mobilized more than 50 aircraft to drop water and conduct cloud seeding, with Japan contributing three CH-47 Chinook helicopters and 180 crew to assist in firefighting efforts.