Foreign Media Highlight Indonesian Forest Fires, Smoke Reaches Philippines

Forest fires occurring at various points across Indonesia have drawn significant attention from foreign media. One such report by ABC, titled “Indonesia battling wildfires as smoke haze spreads as or far as the Philippines,” was released on Friday (4/9/2026).

The article cites the Indonesian government stating that firefighting efforts are currently focused on six provinces across Sumatra and Kalimantan. Meanwhile, hotspots have also been reported in Java, Sulawesi, and West Papua.

The forest fires are not only impacting the domestic landscape; several neighbouring countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines, are also experiencing the effects of the smoke haze.

ABC also presented a map showing the distribution of haze caused by the forest fires. The map categorises the impact into three levels: unhealthy for sensitive groups, unhealthy, and very unhealthy.

For several neighbouring countries, the impact falls into the unhealthy for sensitive groups category. One affected region, Sarawak in Malaysia—which borders Kalimantan—has recorded unhealthy air quality levels. The Malaysian Ministry of Health revealed a 259% surge in asthma cases during the final week of August.

Reports from the ASMPH Center for Research and Innovation (ACRI) and the Breathe Metro Manila (BMM) network indicate that air quality in Manila became ‘very unhealthy’ from 30 August to 2 September 2026. Air pollution levels were reported to be more than four times the level recommended by the WHO.

Regarding the causes of the forest fires, ABC cited data from the monitoring agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Forestry. It was noted that forest fires have scorched more than 202,000 hectares since the beginning of the year until June, an area nearly three times the size of Singapore.

In July alone, almost 95,000 hectares of land were burned, including more than 73,300 hectares in Sumatra and Kalimantan. West Kalimantan is reported to be the most heavily impacted region in this incident.

Meanwhile, quoting the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), El Niño has caused drought conditions. However, human activity is also cited as a potential trigger for the fires.

The Indonesian Ministry of Forestry is said to have identified suspected causes, such as cases where land is sold illegally and burned to create palm oil plantations, as well as instances of burning land to clear space for authorised road construction.