Smoke rising from Sumatra and Kalimantan has again turned Indonesia’s dry season into a regional emergency. Forest and land fires, locally known as karhutla, have damaged ecosystems, endangered communities and carried haze into Malaysia and Brunei, renewing calls for stronger cooperation across Southeast Asia.
When Peatlands Burn Below the Surface
Indonesia’s most difficult fires often occur on peatlands—carbon-rich wetlands formed from layers of partially decomposed vegetation. When peat is drained for plantations, farming or other development, it becomes highly combustible. Flames can spread underground, resist conventional firefighting and continue producing smoke long after surface fires appear extinguished.
ASEAN contains approximately 56 percent of the world’s tropical peatlands, more than 70 percent of which are in Indonesia. More than three million hectares of Southeast Asian peatlands have historically been damaged by fire, making their protection central to both climate action and regional public health.
The 2026 fires have concentrated heavily in Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra, as well as West, Central and South Kalimantan. Forestry Ministry figures indicated that more than 202,000 hectares had burned between January and July, while an independent satellite assessment placed the year’s affected area at about 285,000 hectares by August. The difference reflects varying monitoring methods, but both figures show a rapidly escalating season.
Indonesian authorities have mobilised ground crews, helicopters, water-bombing aircraft and weather-modification operations. Police have arrested 72 people in 89 fire-related cases, while several companies are being investigated over suspected burning within or near their concessions.
“We are working as hard as possible to avoid disturbing other parties, including neighbouring countries close to us,” said Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago.
Twenty-Six Years of Recurring Warnings
The present emergency follows a pattern that has repeatedly tested Indonesia since the beginning of the century. The catastrophic 1997–1998 haze, which preceded this 26-year period, affected six Southeast Asian countries and caused regional economic, social and environmental losses estimated at more than US$9 billion.
In 2015, approximately 2.6 million hectares burned during one of Indonesia’s worst recorded fire seasons. The World Bank estimated losses of US$16.1 billion, equivalent to around two percent of national GDP. Another major episode in 2019 burned an officially reported 1.6 million hectares and generated an estimated US$5.2 billion in losses.
The cycle continued during the 2023 El Niño, when 1.16 million hectares burned—more than five times the 204,894 hectares recorded in 2022. The latest surge confirms that progress in quieter years can quickly be reversed when prolonged drought meets drained peat, combustible vegetation and deliberate land clearing.
Haze Crosses Borders—and Daily Life Stops
Smoke does not recognise national boundaries. Seasonal winds have carried the 2026 haze into neighbouring Malaysia and Brunei, while Indonesian cities including Pontianak, Jambi and Pekanbaru have experienced deteriorating air quality.
In West Kalimantan, health facilities reported a sharp increase in patients with respiratory symptoms. Across the border in Sarawak, nearly 600 schools were temporarily closed, disrupting education for approximately 200,000 students. Haze also reduced visibility and affected transport, outdoor work and community activities.
Malaysia has offered assistance and received permission to conduct cloud-seeding operations in Indonesian airspace. Its Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister, Arthur Joseph Kurup, described the wider principle clearly: “Haze is a problem that is not just faced by one country. It is a regional issue.”
That recognition is important. Public discussion often becomes trapped in arguments over where smoke originated, while residents throughout the region continue breathing polluted air. Transparent satellite data and joint scientific assessments could help replace diplomatic defensiveness with faster, evidence-based action.
From Emergency Response to Permanent Prevention
ASEAN adopted its Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution in 2002, creating a regional framework for monitoring, prevention and cooperation. The bloc is also working to establish the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control in Indonesia.
The centre could provide a permanent structure for real-time hotspot monitoring, shared evidence, coordinated firefighting and technical assistance. Its effectiveness, however, will depend on timely operationalisation, adequate funding and strong enforcement within member states.
Emergency measures such as water bombing and cloud seeding remain necessary, but they cannot replace prevention. Indonesia and its neighbours must invest more consistently in peatland rewetting, community fire brigades, alternative land-clearing methods and sustainable livelihoods for small farmers. Companies and financiers linked to illegal burning must also face transparent investigations and meaningful penalties.
Indonesia’s recurring fires are not an unavoidable annual ritual. They are a preventable crisis requiring action before the first hotspot appears. By protecting peatlands, enforcing accountability and treating clean air as a shared regional responsibility, Indonesia and ASEAN can finally begin replacing the familiar haze of the dry season with a more resilient future.
