Indonesia’s Borneo fires worsen

What's happened

Since early 2026 wildfires have scorched hundreds of thousands of hectares across Indonesia, concentrating on Borneo (Kalimantan). A powerful El Niño and prolonged dry conditions have driven deep-burning peat and forest blazes that have sent hazardous haze into Malaysian Borneo and Singapore, closed schools and prompted arrests and troop, helicopter and cloud‑seeding deployments.

What's behind the headline?

What’s driving the scale of these blazes

• A powerful El Niño is reducing rainfall and extending the dry season; this is lowering peatland water tables and allowing fires to ignite and smoulder underground. Government statements and multiple reports show the burned area this year is already larger than recent El Niño years.

Human choices are the ignition source

• Reporters have repeatedly linked most fires to deliberate land‑clearing for plantations. Police and forestry data show thousands of hotspots and dozens of arrests; the president has ordered permit revocations and redirected helicopters and troops. That confirms the problem is both climatic and anthropogenic.

Why peat fires are worse

• Drained peat burns below the surface and will keep releasing smoke until rains return. That will sustain hazardous haze across borders and force prolonged health, transport and school disruptions across Borneo and parts of peninsular Malaysia.

What happens next

• Rain is unlikely before November, so the government’s aerial firefighting and cloud‑seeding operations will determine how long fires continue. Expect more permit cancellations and prosecutions; pressure from Malaysia and Singapore will push Jakarta to show tangible results or face diplomatic and economic consequences.

Practical consequence

• The smoke will continue to raise respiratory illnesses and disrupt travel and schooling across the region until sustained rains arrive. Local health systems and education authorities will therefore remain under strain.

How we got here

Fires in Indonesia typically start from land‑clearing burns for plantations on drained peatlands. El Niño has intensified drought this year, lowering water tables and making peatlands harder to extinguish, while decades of deforestation have created degraded, highly flammable landscapes.

Our analysis

The coverage converges on two points: climate‑driven drought and human land clearing. The Guardian reports on local health impacts in West Kalimantan, noting a jump from about 500 weekly respiratory visits earlier in the year to roughly 5,000 since July and quoting residents asking, “What about babies, the elderly, and pregnant women?” (The Guardian). Al Jazeera and Arab News emphasise the scale, with government figures cited that at least 200,000 hectares have burned and that losses are already larger than previous El Niño years in 2019 and 2023 (Al Jazeera; Arab News). AP, the New York Post and the Independent supply operational detail: helicopter deployments, cloud‑seeding and mass hotspot counts — AP noting 11,908 hot spots in a 24‑hour period and Nusantara Atlas and forestry ministry totals cited by several outlets (AP; New York Post; Independent). On responses, The Guardian and Al Jazeera report President Prabowo directing resource mobilisations and permit revocations; Independent and AP highlight Malaysia’s role, noting Kuala Lumpur has authorised cloud seeding over Indonesian airspace and prepared assistance to combat cross‑border haze (Independent; AP). The Guardian and BBC provide ground colour about animal rescues and school closures, underlining human and ecological costs (The Guardian; BBC). Together the sources show agreement on causes and scale while differing in emphasis: Guardian and BBC foreground human stories and health data; Al Jazeera and Arab News stress burned area and military mobilisation; AP and Independent catalogue operational statistics and bilateral cooperation.

Go deeper

• How long will cloud‑seeding and aerial firefighting be able to contain peat fires before the rains arrive?
• Which companies or plantations face permit revocation and prosecution for alleged illegal burning?
• How will neighbouring countries escalate diplomatic pressure if haze persists?

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