Indonesia’s Fire Crisis Worsens: 5.4 Million at Risk as Haze Blankets Borneo and Sumatra

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Indonesia is battling a wave of forest and land fires across multiple provinces, deploying troops, water-bombing helicopters, and hundreds of water pumps as thick haze spreads across the region and air quality deteriorates in neighboring Brunei [226425][231042][228745][231096]. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has ramped up both ground and aerial operations, while the Health Ministry is rushing face masks and oxygen concentrators to 5.4 million people affected by smoke inhalation [226429][229962].

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered a swift and firm response, setting a two-week target to extinguish the blazes and calling for a crackdown on the masterminds who plan and fund the illegal burning [227595][227585][226444]. The fires, known locally as "karhutla," are largely caused by slash-and-burn clearing for agriculture, and have been worsened by drought and El Niño conditions [229966].

In West Papua, a water-bombing helicopter is dropping water on hotspots in the Teluk Bintuni area to prevent flames from reaching residential zones and protected forests [231042]. Meanwhile, six Air Force planes have been dispatched to North Kalimantan carrying food supplies and firefighting equipment, and 200 water pumps have been sent to Kalimantan to draw water from rivers and canals [226447][228745].

The government is also turning to prevention. President Prabowo has ordered the construction of wells and canal blocks in peatlands—wetlands made of decaying plant material that become highly flammable when drained—to keep them wet and reduce fire risk [226420]. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has pledged support for cloud-seeding operations in Jambi province to trigger artificial rain and saturate dry peatlands [227590]. The National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is testing cassava flour as a low-cost method to keep dried peatlands moist, though the project is still in its testing phase [231036].

The haze has already reached Brunei, where satellite monitoring has detected a rise in fire hotspots across Borneo, prompting local authorities to advise residents to limit outdoor activities [231096]. In Indonesia, the Health Ministry is coordinating with regional authorities to ensure emergency supplies reach remote communities quickly, as many victims—including schoolchildren—have begun wearing masks to protect themselves from the toxic smoke [229962].

President Prabowo’s directive signals a shift toward prevention rather than response, with local authorities now responsible for identifying priority sites for new wells and canal blocks [226420]. The government is also stepping up law enforcement, with police pledging to prosecute not just those who set the fires but also the individuals who plan and fund them [226444].

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