The key facts

  • Indonesia's Health Ministry: 333,470 cases of acute respiratory infections linked to the fires; 4,522 new cases in a single day
  • Hazardous air pollution levels in six provinces: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West, South and Central Kalimantan
  • President Prabowo Subianto threatened to revoke concessions from violators; protests took place in Samarinda demanding a national disaster be declared

Rising illness amid the fires

Indonesia's Ministry of Health reported on Thursday 333,470 cases of acute respiratory infections (ARI) linked to forest and land fires in several regions of the country. According to the ministry's director of environmental health, Ten Suyanti, cited by the state agency Antara, 4,522 new cases were recorded in a single day, and the daily incidence rate remains high.

Hazardous air quality

According to Suyanti, the latest air pollution index showed that air quality in a number of areas had reached hazardous levels, especially in six provinces prioritized for firefighting efforts: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. She noted that smoke from the fires contains fine particulate matter PM2.5, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and other organic compounds capable of causing ARI, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, eye and skin irritation and other systemic health consequences.

The president's reaction

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said on Thursday that if companies with foreign participation are responsible for recurring forest and land fires, they could lose their permits to operate, and the revoked concessions could be handed over to young Indonesians. «As for the forest fires, there are signs that many foreign companies are responsible. They have held concessions for more than ten years, but some have violated the rules three, four or even a dozen times — some up to 19 times,» he said, adding that permits should be revoked after just two violations.

Protests and weather conditions

According to iNews, in Samarinda, the capital of East Kalimantan, thousands of students and other citizens protested demanding that the forest and land fires be declared a national disaster. Indonesia is experiencing an unusually prolonged dry season: the El Niño phenomenon is contributing to conditions favorable for the outbreak of wildfires.