Haze from Indonesia's worst wildfires in 11 years chokes Pontianak residents

Thick haze from Indonesia's most intense wildfires in more than a decade has enveloped Pontianak in West Kalimantan, forcing residents like 45-year-old mother Mimi Marlina to wear masks while running errands. Super-El Niño driven droughts have intensified the blazes, sending pollutants across borders and degrading air quality to hazardous levels in Singapore and Malaysia. Health officials note a sharp rise in respiratory cases, with clinic director Popong Solihat seeing 80-120 daily visits and 187 cases in the first 11 days of September.

Volunteer groups operating the "Rumah Oksigen" program are distributing oxygen cylinders, reaching people such as 54-year-old Suriana in Kubu Raya, whose breathing difficulties have worsened. Indonesia's fire emissions, measured at 19.7 million metric tons in a recent week, represent more than a third of the global total, prompting the government to deploy aircraft, cloud-seeding, and assistance from Japan's CH-47 Chinook helicopters.