Toxic Wildfire Smoke Kills 3,560 in Indonesia During September, Report Says

JAKARTA:Toxic smoke from wildfires fuelled by drought in Indonesia killed 3,560 people in September, while total deaths linked to air pollution reached 5,310, according to a new report.

The figures were released in a latest report by the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), an organisation that conducts research on energy and air quality, international media reported.

According to the report, deaths caused by air pollution increased by 42 per cent in September compared with August, when 3,740 fatalities were recorded.

Apart from deaths linked to smoke from forest and land fires, urban and industrial air pollution claimed another 1,750 lives.

In Kalimantan, the Indonesian region of Borneo affected by the fires, toxic wildfire smoke accounted for 94 to 99 per cent of air-pollution-related deaths. The share exceeded 80 per cent in Sumatra, while urban and industrial pollution remained the main cause of such deaths on the southern island of Java.

The report said around 58 million people in Indonesia were exposed to unhealthy to extremely hazardous levels of air pollution during September.

In Kalimantan, the number of people breathing hazardous air during periods of severe pollution increased from 2.8 million to 6.4 million.

Wildfires erupted across Indonesia amid severe drought and El Niño weather conditions, damaging forests and sending toxic smoke across other parts of Southeast Asia.

Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Timor-Leste were also affected by the smoke.

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