Indonesia Wildfire Haze Spreads Across Southeast Asia

Indonesia’s wildfires are sending thick smoke across Southeast Asia, worsening air quality in affected communities and prompting East Timor to close schools for three days beginning October 15. Haze blanketed Indonesian cities, while residents in Palangka Raya described difficult conditions as fires continued to burn across the country. In Palangka Raya, in Central Kalimantan, the sky turned orange on Wednesday night and remained yellow on Thursday, with visibility reduced to a few dozen metres, according to accounts from the city. Indonesia’s environment ministry recorded an air pollution index above 1,200 there on Wednesday, while a separate report put the reading near 1,300 on Thursday. Both readings were far above the index’s hazardous threshold of 300. The smoke has also affected neighbouring countries. East Timor began a three-day school closure on October 15 after the government announced the measure a day earlier. Residents in Dili described severe haze, and some wore masks outdoors. Air quality in parts of Singapore was in the country’s “very high” band on Wednesday, while haze was also reported in Malaysia.