Indonesia wildfire haze crisis September 2026

Air pollution-related deaths in Indonesia rose by 42 percent in September, from an estimated 3,740 in August to 5,310.

Chronic non-fire emissions from urban and industrial air pollution sources caused 1,750 deaths in Indonesia in September, according to CREA.

Citizens inhaling hazardous-level air in Kalimantan nearly tripled from 2.8 million to 6.4 million during the worst days of September.

The protesters demonstrated against President Prabowo Subianto's policies.

The protested policies included government spending priorities.

Hundreds of Indonesian students and civil society groups protested in Jakarta and other cities.

Toxic haze has spread across Southeast Asia.

Rain has offered brief relief from wildfires in Indonesia.

The haze has caused school closures in Southeast Asia.

No company has been prosecuted under Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act to date.

The ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution does not contain provisions for enforcement by a judicial body.

Indonesia's then environmental minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar accused Singapore of not showing mutual respect.

The haze has spread to neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia.

Indonesia is facing its worst wildfire season in a decade.

A toxic haze has been choking millions of residents in the region.

Many fires in Southeast Asia are deliberately started to clear land for agriculture.

Malaysia has closed schools as air quality deteriorated during the 2026 haze crisis.

Government figures put the area burned in Indonesia between June and October 2015 at 2.6 million hectares.

Schools in Johor Bahru in Malaysia closed due to air quality reaching unhealthy levels.

Shanmugam said some fires or smoke source points seem to be associated with First Resources, Bumitama Agri, and non-listed First Borneo Plantations.

Golden Agri Resources and Wilmar International slipped almost 2%.

Dr Nisa Novita's team reported fires spreading into areas with no history of fire before.

Dianyra Eka Nastiti's baby was hospitalised for bronchopneumonia at one and a half months old.

Wildfires have burned approximately 1.9 million hectares across Indonesia since the start of 2026.

Forest fires and toxic haze in Indonesia's Central Kalimantan continue to worsen.

Critics accuse Indonesian authorities of failing to take adequate action to contain the crisis.

Indonesia is experiencing its worst forest fires and toxic haze in 11 years.

Malaysia's Second Finance Minister Amir Hamzah Azizan said the worsening haze requires a coordinated ASEAN response.

Grab has been distributing masks and issuing advisories to its platform workers.

Amir Hamzah Azizan said Malaysia has offered to deploy water bombers and other resources to help tackle the haze.

Authorities partly blame the agricultural clearing method known as slash and burn for compounding the intense haze.

Witnesses captured videos of the haze over the Kalimantan region near where wildfires continue to burn.

The ISPU air pollution index exceeded 1,200, according to data from the national environment ministry.

In Malaysia, schools reopened in most states on Tuesday but remain closed in three states, one federal territory and several districts.

Firefly said affected passengers were being rebooked on Malaysia Airlines flights between Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Singapore's Changi Airport, subject to seat availability.

Firefly first announced the flight cancellations on October 10, citing low visibility due to haze conditions.

Rescuers cheered as the orangutans returned to the wild.

Wildfires destroyed the orangutans' original habitat prior to their release.

The orangutans received medical care before being released.

Singapore passed the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act in 2014, which allows the government to take action against local and foreign firms found to be contributing to the haze.

Several groups in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, filed a class action lawsuit against the Indonesian government and Prabowo, accusing them of gross negligence over recurrent toxic haze.

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto called for tougher sanctions against slash-and-burn farming, describing the practice as ecological terrorism.

Mama Nopi and her offspring Nopi, Naufal and Nopan were surviving in a coconut and rubber plantation before their rescue in early September.

Mama Man and her baby, Man, had been monitored by animal rescuers since June.

The released orangutans included three mothers, their three daughters and two adult males.

The apes are critically endangered.

Eight orangutans have been released into the wild in Borneo after being rescued from intense wildfires.

Indonesian wildlife authorities rescued 46 of the apes before fires tore through their habitat in August and September.

Wildfires have been burning in parts of Indonesia for weeks.

Smoke from the Indonesian wildfires has reached Malaysia, Singapore, and the Philippines.

Dozens of orangutans have been rescued from fires in Indonesia.

The fires have caused massive habitat destruction.

The rescued orangutan suffered burns to her hands and feet.

Indonesia is facing one of its worst wildfire seasons.

Iconic landmarks in Singapore are being shrouded in toxic haze from fires in Indonesia.

Around one million hectares of land in Indonesia have been burned so far this year.

Japan's Self-Defense Forces arrived in Borneo earlier in the month to help with firefighting efforts.

The number of people suffering wildfire-related respiratory illnesses more than doubled to 113,336 by 9 September, up from 50,891 on 1 September.

Indigenous and civil society groups in West Kalimantan filed a class action suit against the central government and local administrations alleging deliberate negligence in tackling wildfires.

Wildfires in Indonesia have caused approximately 175,000 people to suffer respiratory illnesses since August.

The air quality in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore has reached unhealthy levels due to toxic haze from the wildfires.