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Haze from wildfires in Indonesia has spread even farther this week, reaching beyond Malaysia and Brunei to Singapore and the Philippines.<\/span><\/p>\n On Sept. 4, Singaporean residents woke<\/a> to a smoggy sky as air quality reached unhealthy levels. By late afternoon, the city had the third-worst air quality globally, according<\/a> to IQAir.<\/span><\/p>\n Earlier this week, Philippine authorities declared<\/a> air quality in parts of Luzon island, including<\/a> Manila\u2019s metropolitan areas, Visayas island group and Mindanao island as \u201cacutely unhealthy\u201d, blaming it on the transboundary haze from Indonesia.<\/span><\/p>\n In the Malaysian state of Sarawak, which has been hit by transboundary haze for weeks<\/a>, the capital Kuching has topped<\/a> the rankings as the world\u2019s most polluted city since early this week. Authorities declared<\/a> a state of emergency in Serawak\u2019s Serian district on Sept. 4.<\/span><\/p>\n Malaysia\u2019s health ministry warned<\/a> in late August that cases of asthma rose by 259% and those of upper respiratory tract infections increased by 124% in a week. <\/span><\/p>\n Oil-rich Brunei has also been experiencing hazy conditions since mid-August. <\/span><\/p>\n Wildfires across Indonesia show no signs of abating amid a \u201csuper\u201d El Ni\u00f1o, which brings extremely dry conditions. As of Sept. 3, Firewatch<\/a>, a satellite monitoring platform, had detected more than 444,200 fire hotspots, which indicate potential fire sites, across the archipelago. This is 4.5 times the number detected on July 27<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Indonesian officials said the fires were deliberately caused<\/a>, either by individuals or corporations. A Kompas<\/em> newspaper report found<\/a> that wildfires are detected on the same sites year after year, with 50% occurring in oil palm concessions. <\/span><\/p>\n Environmental NGO WALHI made a similar observation, saying<\/a> that around half of hotspots in West and Central Kalimantan provinces this year occurred in oil palm and timber concessions. The NGO also pointed to 33 \u201chigh-confidence\u201d fire hotspots detected in August in a concession belonging to the pulp company PT Bumi Mekar Hijau in Sumatra. Ten years ago, the firm was found liable by an appellate court<\/a> for a fire that destroyed 20,000 hectares (49,421 acres) of land. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cThousands of hotspots continue to be detected in peatland areas, plantations, and timber concessions, indicating that the government maintains a land-use model that increases ecological vulnerability and heightens the risk of wildfires,\u201d said WALHI spokesperson Dana Prima Tarigan.<\/span><\/p>\n Residents and wildlife who live near the wildfires bear the brunt. Indonesia\u2019s health ministry said it recorded<\/a> 50,891 acute respiratory infection cases caused by haze in July and August. <\/span><\/p>\n Two volunteers who helped fight wildfires in Central Kalimantan died this week<\/a> after complaining of breathing difficulties.<\/span><\/p>\n Firefighters have found<\/a> snake and pangolin carcasses in burned areas. Farmers in West Kalimantan rescued<\/a> a Borneo orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus<\/em>) on Sunday after he was found at an oil palm plantation. Days later, forestry authorities said<\/a> the ape had died due to suspected smoke inhalation.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n Banner image:<\/em><\/strong> The riverside in Kuching city center, Sarawak state, Malaysia, is shrouded in thick haze, Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. Image by AP Photo\/Xpin Voon.<\/em><\/p>\n
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