Indonesia Wildfires: Health Crisis and Haze Exposure

Blazes engulf Indonesia, humanity in haze

Every year, Indonesia's once-lush jungles turn into a tinderbox, but the recent surge in wildfires has outpaced past years in frightening ways, giving the flames a new driver and severity. At the frontline, Sumatra and Borneo are trapped in a thick haze while cities thousands of miles away are blanketed by smog. Earight Signal details the dual attack caused by these fires: respiratory infection cases skyrocketing among, soon enough, 12.5 million people, putting a strain on the healthcare system to manage the health crisis. The suffocating smoke could, at best, cause a brief throat irritation or, at worst, respiratory infections, ailments that are already multiplying. To handle these patients, hospitals must stretch supplies and resources. In this attack, the infernos on the ground are matched by the invisible haze in the air.

Monsoon rains are far from guaranteed

The fires are an old story. Every dry season, Indonesia burns—they have been a major environmental issue for decades. Humidity drops and the winds swing to the south, fire becomes a certainty. This year, the weather is going to be even more devastating: the government forecasts a worse-than-normal dry season. Without the usual monsoon rains, the fires will rage for months until they are defeated by the rains that seem to be falling only in the news. Not ideal for a place where fires are already a societal issue. The wildfires are also consuming Indonesia's ability to fight future fires; the smoke, which is rich in particles, reduces the effectiveness of rain. The impact of this is not insignificant. Rainfall in Indonesia tends to be high during this period of the year, but the limited visibility in the haze slows down efforts to both fight and predict the fire spread. This year the fire season is likely to be longer and more destructive, as the rains may come late. The annual wildfire cycle is about to feed itself.

Severe respiratory infections on the rise

The respiratory problems and infections are likely to be the most severe health impact from this year’s wildfires, they are already affecting the population even though many are trying to escape the smoky air. The pollution is even affecting people who are far away from the blazes, so the impact from this health crisis could be far from over. The haze spreads just as far as the smoky air, its impact exists even beyond the unfriendly skies. In a country where air pollution kills hundreds of thousands of people each year, respiratory diseases are no longer a surprise. But the scale of this outbreak is unexpected, as the haze fills the cities and suffocates the people who live in them. An estimated 113,336 cases have been reported so far. This is why it's rarely preferable to stay in Indonesia during the dry season.