Fire pollution killed 3,560 people in Indonesia in September: report
Summary
Smoke from months of wildfires across Indonesia caused an estimated 3,560 deaths in September, with 57.8 million people breathing unhealthy to hazardous air. The report says the haze worsened air quality across Borneo, Java and Sumatra and pushed total estimated pollution-related deaths to 5,310 that month.
Key Points
- A new CREA study estimates that wildfire smoke caused 3,560 deaths in Indonesia in September, double the August estimate.
- Around 57.8 million people in Indonesia were exposed to unhealthy to hazardous air, while non-fire pollution caused another 1,750 deaths.
- The haze from the fires spread to neighboring countries, including Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and East Timor.
- Experts blamed weak preparedness, budget cuts and poor land-clearing practices, while the government defended its firefighting response.
