Indonesian Forest-Fire Smoke Forecast to Drift Toward Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei

Indonesian authorities warned that smoke from forest and peatland fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan was drifting toward the Malacca Strait and Natuna Sea, raising transboundary haze risk for Malaysia, Singapore, and Brunei over Aug. 29-30. Visibility fell to 1-1.5 km in parts of Kalimantan, and air quality indices reached hazardous levels — 877 in Katingan and 720 in Southeast Pontianak. Central Kalimantan hotspots rose sharply to 5,391 and West Kalimantan to 3,824. Authorities had 48,667 personnel deployed across six priority provinces, backed by 53 aircraft including 34 water bombers, as the El Niño-driven dry season pushed the country's fire season toward its historical August-September peak.