Southeast Asia's Haze Crisis: Why the Fires Keep Returning

For many people across Southeast Asia, the arrival of the dry season brings an unwelcome but familiar problem: thick, grey smoke that settles over cities, makes it difficult to breathe and, in particularly bad years, forces schools and businesses to close. This year, the haze has returned with a vengeance, with fires burning across parts of Indonesia and smoke drifting into neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and even the Philippines.

In Singapore, the city's famous skyline has been barely visible through the smog, while air pollution reached record levels just as the country prepared to host its Formula One Grand Prix. Across the border in Malaysia, authorities have ordered schools to close in several states, and in Indonesia, where the fires originate, communities have been dealing with weeks of polluted air and a growing number of respiratory illnesses.

As per Swiss air quality monitor IQAir's live 'Most polluted global major cities ranking' on Wednesday, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia topped it (with an air quality index (AQI) of 197) , followed by Medan, Indonesia (192). Singapore was on the fifth spot (181), while Jakarta, Indonesia (154) was on the seventh. Last week, Singapore had become the most polluted on the planet because of the smog with an AQI of 216.

According to the BBC, this year's fire season is among Indonesia's worst in recent years, made particularly severe by a strong El Niño weather pattern that has brought unusually hot and dry conditions to the region. The prolonged drought has allowed fires to spread more easily, while the lack of rain has made efforts to contain them increasingly difficult.

Indonesian magazine, Tempo reported that as of October 9, 2026, the fire burned with 7,555 hotspots across the country and 196 fire spots recorded in six priority provinces, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The six provinces prioritized for firefighting efforts are Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan. A total of 706.19 hectares of land burned across these areas in the previous 24 hours, according to BNPB's wildfire response dashboard.

How does it compare to previous years?

In 2015, the worst fires recorded, then President Joko Widodo promised Indonesia would solve the haze problem within three years. According to reports, the fires are much smaller in 2026, but the haze problem rages on.

Some 2.6 million ha burned in 2015, followed by another 1.65 million ha in 2019. In 2026 alone, nearly 900,000 ha had burned by late August, according to independent forest monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas.

Analysts indicate the area burned and emissions are on track to match the record blazes of 2015, which generated 333 megatonnes of carbon. As of 7 September, fires in Indonesia produced 76m tonnes of carbon (MtC) in 2026.

Yet, while El Niño has made the situation worse, the fires themselves are hardly new. Indonesia has experienced recurring forest and land fires for decades, with the resulting haze becoming an almost annual problem for its Southeast Asian neighbours. Much of it has been linked to the clearing of land for agriculture, particularly palm oil and timber plantations, where burning vegetation remains a cheap method of preparing land despite being illegal.

What makes these fires particularly difficult to control, however, is not always what is burning above the ground, but what lies beneath it.

Why Indonesia's peatlands matter

Indonesia is home to some of the world's largest tropical peatlands, vast areas of swampy land where layers of dead plants and other organic material have accumulated over thousands of years. In their natural state, these wetlands remain saturated with water, storing enormous amounts of carbon while supporting forests, wildlife and communities that depend on them.

The trouble begins when these areas are drained to make way for plantations. Canals are dug to remove the water, allowing oil palms and other commercial crops to grow, but in doing so, the once-waterlogged peat becomes dry and highly flammable. When a fire breaks out, it can spread beneath the surface and continue smouldering for weeks or even months, sometimes reappearing long after firefighters believe the flames have been extinguished.

In a recent South China Morning Post report examining Indonesia's fires, Uli Arta Siagian, national campaign coordinator at the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI), explained how companies operating on peatland ecosystems have drained these areas to establish oil palm and industrial timber plantations. “The companies have a responsibility to protect the environments in which they operate, the government has not done enough to ensure those obligations are met,” she said.

The scale of the problem is significant, particularly in a country that is the world's largest producer of palm oil, a commodity used widely in food, cosmetics and household products. While the industry is an important part of Indonesia's economy, the conversion of forests and peatlands into plantations has also raised longstanding concerns about deforestation, biodiversity loss and the environmental consequences of poorly managed land.

Peatland fires are especially damaging because the soil itself burns, releasing carbon that has been stored underground for centuries or even millennia. This not only produces the thick smoke that travels across Southeast Asia but also releases greenhouse gases, adding another dimension to a crisis that is already being made worse by hotter and drier weather.

The cost of living with the haze

For those living closest to the fires, the effects are felt well before the smoke reaches the skylines of Singapore or Kuala Lumpur.

Between July and September, Indonesia's Health Ministry recorded nearly 175,000 cases of respiratory infections linked to the fires, according to the BBC. In Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, volunteers have established community-run clean air shelters equipped with air purifiers, oxygen and basic medicines to help residents struggling with breathing difficulties, coughing and eye irritation.

The BBC also reported on the experience of Agus Winarni, a mother of four living in Palembang, South Sumatra, whose entire family had fallen ill during the haze. Despite keeping their windows and doors closed, smoke continued to enter their home, while repeated visits to the doctor and her husband's inability to work regularly had placed further pressure on the household.

Her experience reflects a much wider problem across the region, where the haze has disrupted schooling, affected businesses and placed additional pressure on healthcare services. In Malaysia, MP Kelvin Yii told Al Jazeera that the crisis should not be seen merely as an environmental issue, pointing to its effects on ASEAN's economy, productivity, children's education and public health.

The fires have also had devastating consequences for Indonesia's wildlife, particularly in Borneo, where orangutans are already under pressure from habitat loss. Reuters reported that eight critically endangered orangutans had been relocated after fires destroyed parts of their forest habitat, while conservation groups have been working to rescue animals affected by smoke and burns.

For Indigenous communities, the destruction of these forests carries another cost, one that is not always reflected in the statistics.

In the 2024 documentary Fire Beneath Her, filmmakers Denise Dragiewicz and Anson Hartford follow Indigenous environmental activist Emmanuela Shinta as she returns to her ancestral homeland in Central Kalimantan and reflects on the changes she has witnessed over her lifetime. Forests that once sustained Indigenous communities have been cleared for plantations, mining and other industries, with the loss of land also threatening traditional ways of life.

Shinta's activism was shaped in part by the devastating fires of 2015, when vast areas of Indonesia burned and hospitals were overwhelmed by people suffering from respiratory illnesses. Through her work with young people and Indigenous communities, she has sought to raise awareness of deforestation and ensure that those living closest to the forests have a greater say in decisions about their future.

Who is responsible for the fires?

Although land clearing through burning is illegal in Indonesia, the practice has continued for years, partly because it is cheaper than other methods of preparing land for agriculture. The question of who is responsible for starting individual fires remains contested, with attention often turning to plantation companies, small farmers and the effectiveness of government oversight.

President Prabowo Subianto has called for a deeper investigation into the fires, raising concerns in a September address about how quickly some burned areas were being converted into plantation land. He demanded that authorities identify companies suspected of involvement and take action against those found responsible, while the government has also deployed military personnel to support firefighting operations.

Indonesia has since established a National Peatland and Mangrove Management Agency to strengthen peatland management and fire prevention, although environmental campaigners have questioned whether another government body will be enough to address a problem that has persisted for decades.

The debate over responsibility has also moved into the courts. According to The Guardian, Indigenous and civil society groups in West Kalimantan have filed a class action lawsuit accusing the Indonesian government of gross negligence in its handling of the recurring fires. The case names President Prabowo and the governor of West Kalimantan among ten defendants and seeks stronger fire management, environmental rehabilitation and support for affected communities, including healthcare costs.

None of the defendants attended the opening hearing in Pontianak on 7 October, prompting the court to adjourn proceedings until 21 October. For the groups behind the lawsuit, the case is an attempt to secure greater accountability for a problem that has repeatedly affected the health and livelihoods of local communities.

A regional problem with no easy solution

Indonesia's recurring haze has long tested relations with its Southeast Asian neighbours, particularly Malaysia and Singapore, which regularly bear the effects of fires burning hundreds of kilometres away.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chair the Philippines said on Tuesday that Southeast Asian foreign ministers will seek to tackle the transboundary haze blanketing parts of the region during a meeting next month.

“It’s in the agenda,” Philippine Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Dominic Xavier M. Imperial said 

Malaysian Foreign Minister Mohamad Hasan on Monday said he would raise the haze issue with ASEAN, noting that the bloc’s existing mechanisms to deal with natural disasters did not include haze.

During the severe haze crisis of 2015, officials in both countries publicly criticised Indonesia over its handling of the fires, leading to diplomatic tensions and renewed calls for stronger action against companies involved in illegal land clearing.

Similar frustrations have surfaced this year, although Malaysia has also offered assistance with firefighting efforts.

The latest controversy came on 10 October, when Syahganda Nainggolan, head of Indonesia's Government Communication Agency remarks led to uproar online.

“We’re not just sending over the haze. When there’s no haze, we send oxygen. The oxygen in Singapore and Malaysia comes from our forests, right?” Syahganda was quoted as saying by news outlet Kompas on Saturday

According to reports, he described the fires as a natural phenomenon and asked neighbouring countries to understand the situation.

His comments quickly triggered backlash on social media, where users mocked the idea of attributing atmospheric oxygen to a single nation.

While the unusually dry weather has undoubtedly made the fires more difficult to control, environmental groups have continued to point to land clearing, drained peatlands and weak enforcement as important factors behind the recurring crisis.

For ASEAN, the challenge is particularly complicated because the smoke does not recognise national borders, while the decisions that contribute to the fires are often made within them. Countries across the region have worked towards greater cooperation on transboundary haze, but the return of severe pollution has again raised questions about whether existing measures are doing enough to prevent the problem.

Indonesia's government has warned that the fires could continue into November, leaving millions of people facing the prospect of several more weeks of unhealthy air.

The coming weeks will test both Indonesia's ability to contain the fires and the government's promises to investigate those responsible, while the lawsuit in West Kalimantan could bring renewed attention to the experiences of communities who have lived with the consequences for years.

For now, much of Southeast Asia is waiting for the rains to arrive and clear the skies, as they have during previous fire seasons. But with the underlying problems of land clearing, peatland drainage and enforcement still unresolved, there is growing concern that the region could find itself facing the same crisis again next year.

-Asia Media Centre

 Banner Image - Haze over Tanjong Rhu in Singapore on September 14, 2026. Photo: Wikimedia