Indonesia Reports More Than 333,000 Respiratory Illness Cases Amid Wildfires

More than 333,000 people in Indonesia have suffered from respiratory illnesses linked to smoke from widespread forest and land fires, the country’s Health Ministry said Thursday.

A total of 333,470 cases have been reported, according to the ministry. Than Suwanti, director of environmental health at the Health Ministry, said new cases continue to emerge daily. Another 4,522 people were affected on Wednesday, the state-run Antara news agency reported.

The latest air quality index readings show that pollution levels have reached hazardous levels in several parts of the country. Authorities are focusing firefighting efforts on six provinces: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan.

Suwanti said wildfire smoke contains harmful pollutants, including fine particulate matter known as PM2.5, carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. Exposure to these substances can cause respiratory infections, asthma, chronic lung diseases, and irritation of the eyes and skin. They may also affect other parts of the body.

Meanwhile, Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said foreign companies could be linked to repeated forest and land fires. Speaking Thursday, he said there were indications of foreign companies’ involvement in the incidents.

The president said some companies had operated under forest and land-use permits for more than a decade. Several had allegedly violated regulations three, four, or even 12 times, while some faced allegations of as many as 19 violations.

Subianto said permits should be revoked if companies violate the rules twice. He added that foreign companies could lose their operating permits if allegations against them were proven. The rights to use revoked land could then be granted to young Indonesians, he said.

Separately, thousands of students and other demonstrators gathered in Samarinda, the capital of East Kalimantan province, demanding that the forest and land fires be declared a national disaster, according to the news outlet iNews.

Indonesia is experiencing an unusually prolonged dry spell this year. The influence of El Niño has also contributed to conditions favorable for the spread of wildfires.