Indonesia warns against starting open fires as wildfire haze spreads to Malaysia

Indonesian authorities warned on Friday they would take legal action against anyone who starts an open fire, as huge blazes on Borneo and elsewhere created a choking haze that blanketed cities and dense smoke drifted into neighbouring Malaysia.

The fires are concentrated on Borneo, the world’s third-largest island shared by Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.

Indonesia occupies about three quarters of the island, where more than 5,000 hot spots were recorded by the country’s forestry ministry.

The blazes have blanketed parts of Kalimantan in choking haze, reducing visibility to just one to 10 metres in some areas, according to local media reports.

The smoke has contributed to traffic accidents and delayed several flights.

Television footage showed roads, buildings and public facilities obscured by smoke, with motorists forced to drive with headlights on during daylight hours.

Residents, including schoolchildren, were seen wearing masks while walking outside.

An intensifying El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season have fuelled the fires, generating dense smoke that crossed into Malaysia, according to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency.

Malaysia’s eastern state of Sarawak has been among the hardest hit.

One district recorded “very unhealthy” air quality on Friday, while eight others posted unhealthy readings, prompting the closure of nearly 600 schools and affecting about 200,000 students, the Sarawak government said.

On Borneo, Central Kalimantan police chief Iwan Kurniawan said investigators have detained 12 suspects linked to alleged arson and illegal land clearing in the past week.

“Every forest and land fire incident in Central Kalimantan is investigated,” Mr Kurniawan said, adding that authorities were working to determine the causes of the fires and identify those responsible.

Forestry minister Raja Juli Antoni, who visited fire-hit areas near the provincial capital of Palangka Raya on Wednesday, vowed strict action against offenders.

“Whoever they are, big or small, without exception, anyone who destroys nature and forests will face strict legal action,” Mr Antoni said.

Social media was flooded with complaints from residents describing breathing difficulties and fears of illness.

Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry detected 11,908 hot spots nationwide in the previous 24 hours, up from 6,352 a day earlier.

Forest-monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas said about 450,000 acres burned in July alone, nearly double the area scorched during the first half of the year.

The total area burned this year has reached about 704,000 acres.

Indonesia regularly experiences transboundary haze during severe fire seasons, particularly when peatlands on Sumatra and Kalimantan burn.

Authorities say fires are often started illegally to clear land for plantations or agriculture, periodically blanketing parts of south-east Asia in hazardous smoke.