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Wildfire smoke claims 3,560 lives in Indonesia

Published : Friday, 30 October, 2026 at 4:55 PM

Observer Online Report

Collected Photo

Wildfire smoke and worsening air pollution claimed an estimated 3,560 lives in Indonesia in September, while nearly 58 million people were exposed to unhealthy to hazardous air quality, according to a new study by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA).

The death toll from forest and land fires doubled from the August estimate, as prolonged drought and widespread wildfires intensified air pollution across the Southeast Asian archipelago.

The Helsinki-based research organisation said fire-related pollution caused 3,560 deaths in September, while emissions from urban and industrial sources, including power generation and transport, accounted for another 1,750 deaths, bringing the total number of air pollution-related deaths to 5,310.

The study found that Kalimantan and Sumatra were among the worst-affected regions, with toxic wildfire smoke accounting for the overwhelming majority of pollution-related deaths. Java, meanwhile, continued to face severe air pollution from industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust and waste burning.

The report also estimated that more than 330,000 cases of acute respiratory infections were recorded across seven fire-affected provinces. National PM2.5 exposure levels exceeded the World Health Organization's annual guideline by more than seven times in September.

Indonesia has been battling widespread forest and peatland fires amid severe drought worsened by the El Niño weather phenomenon. The resulting haze has also pushed up pollution levels in neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and East Timor.

The Indonesian government said it had deployed more than 72,000 personnel for firefighting and cloud-seeding operations, activated over 2,100 doctors and health workers in affected areas and distributed 5.3 million masks, according to Al Jazeera.

-AH

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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury

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