Indonesian peat fires spread haze across Southeast Asia

Indonesia is battling a surge of peatland fires that have ignited a thick haze drifting across the region. Satellite data shows nearly 300,000 hectares have burned this year, releasing more than 23 million metric tonnes of carbon between late August and early September. The smoke has forced schools to shut, pushed millions into remote learning and triggered health alerts in neighbouring countries.

Scale of the blaze and emissions

The fires are concentrated on Borneo and Sumatra, islands that host some of the world’s largest tropical forests. According to the independent Nusantara Atlas portal, the carbon output matches the extreme levels recorded during the strong El Nino years of 2015 and 2019. Mark Parrington, a senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, told reporters, "We're seeing already now... really extreme fire emissions comparable to those previous strong El Nino years, and also the extent of the smoke and the haze and the air quality impacts."

"We're seeing already now... really extreme fire emissions comparable to those previous strong El Nino years, and also the extent of the smoke and the haze and the air quality impacts," said Mark Parrington.

Analysts link the intensity to a potent El Nino event, which the United Nations says could be the strongest in four decades. While El Nino dries the landscape, human‑started slash‑and‑burn clearing fuels the inferno. David Gaveau, founder of the Nusantara Atlas, explained, "El Nino does not ignite fires. It creates the dry conditions that allow human‑started fires to escape and become very large."

Regional fallout and response

More than five million people across Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines are exposed to hazardous air quality, according to health officials. In Malaysia, an emergency was declared in Sarawak, leading to the closure of nearly 650 schools. Singapore’s National Environment Agency reported “unhealthy” readings in its central region, while the Philippines saw PM2.5 levels classified as “very unhealthy” before gradually improving.

Health minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono warned that the haze poses serious respiratory risks, especially for children and the elderly. Wahyu Perdana, a spokesman for the NGO Pantau Gambut, highlighted the role of drained peat: "Peat is a naturally wet ecosystem and stores large amounts of organic material. When peat is drained, this organic material is converted into fuel."

Outlook and next steps

Indonesia’s foreign ministry, represented by spokesman Vahd Nabyl Achmad Mulachela, said the government is in regular contact with neighbouring states and that ASEAN meetings on transboundary haze continue. Extinguishing the fires remains challenging due to the depth of peat layers, and experts stress that without addressing land‑clearing practices, future episodes are likely.

For now, authorities across the affected nations are monitoring air quality, advising vulnerable groups to stay indoors and preparing contingency plans for schools and health services as the haze lingers.