The Invisible Plague of South East Asia’s Wildfires

As I gaze through my camera’s lens at the toxic haze shrouding the streets of Jakarta, a familiar sense of despair washes over me. Another year, another season of wildfires ravaging Indonesia and spreading its noxious tendrils across the region is underway. This time, however, the stakes seem higher than ever – with a “super” El Niño brewing in the wings, threatening to unleash unprecedented chaos on an already vulnerable ecosystem.

The numbers are stark: over 50,000 cases of respiratory infections linked to land and forest fires in Indonesia alone since July, with more than half of those cases affecting children under five. The symptoms – itchy eyes, sore throats, runny noses – are all too familiar, serving as a constant reminder that this is not just an environmental disaster, but also a public health crisis.

Decades of land-use change and reckless development have created the perfect conditions for these fires to spread. Companies in South East Asia use fire as a cheap and effective way to clear vast areas of land for plantations and other commercial projects, leaving landscapes more vulnerable to burning. This pattern has played out repeatedly across the region, with human activity just as much a culprit behind these fires as drought and El Niño conditions.

The Indonesian government’s response to these disasters is typically reactive, underfunded, and woefully inadequate. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni’s words earlier this week underscored the sense of resignation that pervades these discussions: “Our problems are not over. September is the peak of El Niño.” But what does it mean for the region’s future?

The World Health Organization has warned of “acutely unhealthy” pollution levels in some areas, more than 15 times its recommended threshold. This raises serious concerns about the health impacts on people living in these regions. For children growing up amidst this toxic haze, their future is uncertain.

It’s time to stop treating wildfires as an inevitable consequence of nature’s fury and instead recognize them for what they are: a symptom of our own destructive tendencies. We need to rethink our approach – from the way we manage land-use change to the way we regulate industrial activities. The stakes have never been higher, and it’s not just about saving the planet; it’s about saving ourselves.

Dr Nisa Novita’s words on peatlands are a stark reminder of what’s at stake: “They can become a ‘carbon bomb’ when they are drained or burned.” We’re running out of time. As I watch the haze envelop the city, I’m reminded that sometimes, the most powerful images are those we can’t see – the invisible plague of South East Asia’s wildfires, spreading its dark tendrils across the region like a malignant shadow.