More than 400,000 people across Indonesia have suffered from haze-linked respiratory infections since August, as severe forest and land fires send toxic smoke drifting into neighboring Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Brunei, and Timor Leste. Indonesian health authorities documented 401,686 cases of acute respiratory infection between August 18 and November 2 across seven hardest-hit provinces in Sumatra and Borneo.
Thick orange haze has blanketed the region for months, pushing local air quality indices into hazardous levels. In Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, PM 2.5 fine pollution particles reached an alarming peak of 3,340 in October. The World Health Organization sets a safe 24-hour exposure limit at 25.
Vulnerable Populations Bear the Heavy Burden of Toxic Smoke
Children and the elderly are absorbing the brunt of the crisis. Health ministry spokesperson Widyawati noted that among the total recorded infections, more than 91,000 involved children aged five and younger, while roughly 87,000 patients were between six and nine years old. Tempo added that the figures also capture 56,092 cases among the elderly over 60, alongside vulnerable cohorts including 590 pregnant women, 1,530 asthma patients, and 8,086 outdoor workers.
Patients are crowding medical facilities not just for respiratory distress, but also for pneumonia, acute diarrhea, eye infections, skin complaints, and heat stroke. ANTARA News reported that the Ministry of Health has deployed multidisciplinary medical teams—including doctors, nurses, midwives, pharmacists, nutritionists, and ambulance drivers—to South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Jambi, Riau, and South Sumatra.
To support these efforts, the health ministry distributed roughly 3.8 million masks, 280 oxygen concentrators, 939 oxygen cylinders, 41,000 pairs of gloves, and thousands of personal protective equipment pieces. Widyawati explained the operational readiness, stating, Our concern is not just the availability of oxygen centers, but also ensuring that people who need oxygen support, particularly those with respiratory problems, can access it easily,
according to Tempo.
Intense Drought and Industrial Land Clearing Drive Severe Blazes
While Indonesia experiences seasonal fires during dry spells, the 2026 blazes are the most severe in over a decade. Nusantara Atlas figures show that roughly 1.9 million acres burned nationwide between January and September. Environmental researchers point to deliberate burning for agriculture and industrial land conversion as central drivers, noting that nearly a quarter of the burned land fell inside industrial concessions.
The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air reported that toxic smoke contributed to an estimated 3,560 deaths in September alone. Kalimantan recorded only one day without hazardous air exposure during that entire month. Compounding the disaster, the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air stated that … the National Disaster Management Agency’s ability to deliver emergency response is severely constrained, thanks to a 75 percent budget cut for 2026.
Consequently, … the toxic smoke continues to choke citizens and spread beyond Indonesia’s borders,
the report said.
Economic Toll and Diplomatic Friction Shadow ASEAN Relations
The crisis is exacting a staggering financial penalty alongside its human cost. A study by CELIOS estimates total economic losses between January and August to range from Rp 39.29 trillion to Rp 123.1 trillion, driven by physical asset damage, crippled economic activity, and healthcare expenses. The upper estimate equals nearly half of Central Kalimantan’s projected gross regional domestic product for the year.
In response, Jakarta disbursed approximately Rp 1.2 trillion in emergency assistance across two phases—Rp 760 billion on September 7 and about Rp 475 billion on October 22—to fund firefighting, medical treatment, and peatland restoration. Yet the transboundary fallout has strained international ties. Friction with Singapore over the haze and natural gas export adjustments has cast a shadow over upcoming ASEAN talks in Manila. While Singapore’s top diplomat Vivian Balakrishnan visited President Prabowo Subianto to establish a joint task force targeting the finances of companies behind the fires, Energy Minister Bahlil Lahadalia continued pushing strict resource priorities.
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