OMM Newsroom
Indonesia has recorded 333,470 cases of acute respiratory infections (ARIs) linked to forest and land fires in several regions, the Health Ministry said on Thursday, according to Anadolu Agency.
Then Suyanti, the ministry’s director of environmental health, said 4,522 new cases had been reported, with daily numbers remaining high, state-run news agency Antara reported.
The latest Air Pollutant Index showed hazardous air quality in several areas, particularly in six provinces prioritized for fire management: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, Suyanti said.
She said wildfire smoke contains fine particulate matter such as PM2.5, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and other organic compounds. Exposure can cause ARIs, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, eye and skin irritation, and other systemic health effects.
President Prabowo Subianto said on Thursday that foreign-backed companies found responsible for recurring forest and land fires could lose their operating permits. Revoked concessions could be reassigned to younger Indonesians.
“Regarding forest fires, there are indications that many foreign companies bear responsibility. They have held concessions for over a decade, yet some have committed violations three, four, or even a dozen times — some as many as 19 times,” Prabowo said. He added that permits should be revoked if a company commits two violations.
Separately, thousands of students and other demonstrators gathered in Samarinda, the capital of East Kalimantan, calling on the government to declare forest and land fires a national disaster, according to iNews.
Indonesia is experiencing an unusually prolonged dry season, with El Niño contributing to conditions favorable for wildfires.
