A Malaysian state on Borneo, large and resource-rich.
Indonesia is battling widespread wildfires that have scorched tens of thousands of hectares, forcing school closures and online learning in affected provinces. Authorities are deploying cloud-seeding aircraft and firefighting efforts across six provinces with more than 107,000 hectares burned this year. The country faces a harsher dry season linked to El Niño.
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.
Wildfires across Kalimantan and Sumatra have intensified under El Niño-driven drought, pushing smoke into Malaysia and Brunei. Authorities deploy cloud-seeding, water-bombing aircraft, and ground crews as hotspots rise and air quality deteriorates, threatening health and livelihoods.
Fires in Kalimantan, Indonesia, have burned tens of thousands of acres, triggering a regional haze that is drifting toward Malaysia and Singapore. Health impacts surge as thousands seek care weekly; authorities revoke permits for suspected burners while policing steps up arrests. The El Niño phenomenon is intensifying the dry season, raising the risk of further blazes.
A surge in forest and peatland fires across Indonesia’s Borneo and Sumatra has intensified toxic haze, fueling health risks and prompting international firefighting assistance. El Niño-driven drought and centuries of land degradation are driving the crisis, with cross-border air pollution affecting neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.
Japan has deployed 300 crew members aboard the landing ship JS Kunisaki with three CH-47 Chinook helicopters to Kalimantan, Indonesia. The operation marks the first overseas firefighting mission by the JSDF, aiming to reach areas inaccessible to ground teams amid worsening fires driven by El Niño and a prolonged dry season. The effort complements regional and international firefighting support as Indonesia battles recent air pollution and health impacts.