Indonesian peatland fires send haze into Malaysia and Singapore, closing schools and grounding flights

Fires across Indonesia

Indonesia has spent months fighting fires that have ravaged large areas of forest and peatland, mainly on Borneo but also on Sumatra and Papua. In those regions residents are breathing toxic smoke that has spread to neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines. The fires have intensified this year because of El Niño, set to be one of the strongest since comparable records began four decades ago. Experts have also pointed to slash-and-burn land-clearing practices that have changed the naturally fire-resistant landscape. Haze has hampered aerial firefighting for more than a week, and dense smog has prevented water-bombing and cloud-seeding operations in Central Kalimantan on Borneo.

Peatlands at the centre of the haze

Peatland fires burn slowly, mostly under the surface and sometimes for months, and they produce most of the haze even though less than a third of Indonesia's wildfires occur on peatlands, according to Greenpeace. Indonesia has about a third of the world's tropical peatland. Of its estimated 24.2 million hectares of peatland, 16.4 million hectares have been degraded and are vulnerable to fire, according to the Pantau Gambut NGO. Plantations for timber, pulp and paper, rice paddies and palm oil drive the drainage, with canal networks spanning about 285,000 kilometres according to Pantau Gambut research. Once drained, the dried-out peat is vulnerable to burning, especially in strong El Niño years that bring severe drought.

The smoke contains formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia and PM2.5 particles small enough to penetrate the lungs or bloodstream. The World Health Organization has linked PM2.5 to increased morbidity and mortality from respiratory and cardiovascular illness.

Health, schools and air quality

Singapore ranked among the world's top two most polluted major cities early on Tuesday, 13 October, according to the Swiss monitor IQAir, and its air quality index reached 193. Readings above 150 are classified as unhealthy and readings above 300 as hazardous. Singapore activated schemes giving citizens affordable care for haze-related conditions, and on Monday, 12 October, it reduced the cost of medical fees for respiratory illnesses linked to the haze. The city-state had last activated its haze subsidy scheme in 2015. In Malaysia, schools were closed on Friday, 9 October, in some areas including Kuala Lumpur, and on Tuesday they reopened in most states while remaining closed in three states, one federal territory and several districts. The fires have sparked tens of thousands of respiratory illness cases.

Flight cancellations and regional response

Malaysian low-cost carrier Firefly has suspended flights between Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport near Kuala Lumpur and Singapore's Seletar Airport since Saturday, 10 October, and extended the cancellations until Wednesday, 14 October. The airline described the extension as a proactive safety measure in a statement released late on Monday, 12 October.

Given the evolving weather situation, Firefly is monitoring developments closely. Further updates on flight schedules will be communicated directly to affected customers.

Malaysia has also asked for an urgent meeting of the ASEAN regional organisation to discuss the pollution. In 2015, smoke from Indonesian forest fires cloaked Southeast Asia for weeks, driving up illnesses and forcing school closures and flight cancellations, the same pattern now reported in the region.