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Toxic haze from Indonesian fires chokes Malaysian Borneo

From Al Jazeera · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Ongoing story
  • Smoke from forest and peatland fires in Indonesia’s Kalimantan has pushed air pollution in parts of Malaysian Borneo to hazardous levels and spread to other countries in the region.
  • Sarawak recorded readings above 300 on Malaysia’s Air Pollutant Index, with Kuching reaching 407 and Serian 408.
  • Malaysia reported sharp increases in asthma and conjunctivitis cases as residents described breathing problems and reduced visibility.

Smoke from fires in Indonesia’s Kalimantan has turned parts of Malaysian Borneo hazardous, forcing outdoor Independence Day celebrations to be cancelled and sending respiratory illness higher.

The air here is very thick. It smells like smoke, and it’s just white all over.

· Mia Emylia HassanA Kuching resident describes conditions caused by the haze.

The haze settled over Sarawak for much of August and also reached peninsular Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore. On Tuesday, six areas in Sarawak recorded hazardous readings above 300 on Malaysia’s Air Pollutant Index. Kuching reached 407, while Serian, near the Kalimantan border, reached 408. Any reading above 100 is considered unhealthy.

In Kuching, Mia Emylia Hassan said the smoke had become impossible to escape. “The air here is very thick,” she said. “It smells like smoke, and it’s just white all over.” Visibility from her home had fallen to about one kilometre, and she said the family had not seen blue sky for more than a month.

We have not seen blue sky for over a month.

· Mia Emylia HassanHassan describes the prolonged loss of visibility and clear skies.

Hassan’s 10-month-old daughter had returned from hospital after a lung infection shortly before the haze arrived. “She’s not healing properly because her lungs are still developing,” Hassan said. “She’s been on medication this whole month, and she has been coughing and vomiting.” The family twice rushed the child to an emergency room after she struggled to breathe. “It’s a mini heart attack for us every time,” Hassan said.

She’s not healing properly because her lungs are still developing.

· Mia Emylia HassanHassan explains her infant daughter’s difficulties after a lung infection.

Malaysia’s Health Ministry reported 1,811 asthma cases from August 23 to 29, up from 219 the previous week. Conjunctivitis cases rose to 720 from 146. Near Kuala Lumpur, asthma patient Karen-Michaela Tan said she was audibly wheezing and became breathless on stairs. She required two consecutive nebuliser treatments and a heavy dose of steroids to stop the wheezing. The episode follows the region’s worst haze crisis since 2015, when Indonesian fires exposed tens of millions of people to toxic smoke and caused more than 500,000 respiratory illnesses.

It’s a mini heart attack for us every time.

· Mia Emylia HassanHassan describes the family’s fear when the infant struggles to breathe.
About this summary

Originally published by Al Jazeera. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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