Wildfire Haze Crisis Deepens Across Borneo and Sumatra; Shelters Opened for Children

Fires burning since July across Kalimantan (Borneo), Sumatra, Sulawesi, Java and Papua — fueled by slash-and-burn land clearing and a strong El Niño — had burned more than 200,000 hectares (three times the area of Jakarta) by late August 2026, exposing more than 5 million people directly to hazardous haze. Roughly 13,500 people were treated for respiratory infections in July and August, with pregnant women and children identified as most vulnerable; NGOs opened two dedicated shelters with oxygen and medical supplies in Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan, for affected babies and children, with more planned. President Prabowo Subianto deployed dozens of helicopters and aircraft for water bombing (over 4 million liters dropped) and cloud-seeding operations, and the government distributed more than 5 million face masks nationwide, but firefighters reported equipment shortages and water scarcity. The haze also spread across borders, sickening residents and closing schools intermittently in Malaysia and Singapore.