In brief
Indonesia’s air‑pollution‑related deaths jumped 42% in September to 5,310, largely driven by forest and land fires, says a new report. The surge, attributed to an El Niño‑driven drought, highlights the health toll in Kalimantan, Sumatra and Java and calls for stronger fire prevention and peatland restoration.
In a striking new assessment released by the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA), Indonesia experienced a 42 percent jump in air‑pollution‑related deaths in September, rising from an estimated 3,740 in August to 5,310. The spike, largely linked to widespread forest and land fires across Kalimantan, Sumatra and Java, was reported on Thursday by Xinhua in Jakarta.
The report details that nearly 3,560 of the September deaths were attributed to toxic smoke from forest and land fires—a figure more than double the estimated 1,750 deaths from chronic urban and industrial emissions. In four provinces of Kalimantan, fire smoke accounted for between 94 percent and 99 percent of the pollution‑related fatalities, while in multiple provinces of Sumatra the share exceeded 80 percent. Java, by contrast, saw most deaths tied to urban and industrial pollution, a pattern that CREA deemed “highlighting a disproportionate health burden compared to urban centers in Java.”
highlighting a disproportionate health burden compared to urban centers in Java
CREA identifies an El Niño‑driven drought as the primary catalyst for the worst‑case fire season in recent years, exacerbating dry conditions that set the stage for expansive wildfires and peatland burning. The organization emphasizes that short‑term fire suppression has not matched the escalating demand for preventive measures; instead, it urges the Indonesian government to strengthen enforcement against illegal land clearing, expand peatland restoration projects and invest in robust fire‑watch systems.
Beyond mortality, the environmental toll extends to a vast number of people exposed to unhealthy or hazardous air. The report cites that 57.8 million Indonesians—over half the country’s population—experienced such conditions nationwide during September alone. Moreover, the Ministry of Health’s latest data compiled by Xinhua shows 333,470 cases of acute respiratory infections linked to forest and land fires across several provinces as of October 21, underscoring the broader public‑health impact beyond the fatality count.
CREA’s analysis also highlights a geographic imbalance in disease burden. Kalimantan and Sumatra, regions with extensive peatland and forest cover, bear the brunt of fire‑related deaths, while Java remains disproportionately affected by legacy industrial and vehicular emissions. This split illustrates how regional land‑management practices and climate conditions shape air‑quality crises, reinforcing calls for tailored policy responses that address both atmospheric and land‑use dimensions.
On the policy front, CREA calls for a multifaceted strategy that blends immediate fire‑control tactics with long‑term landscape stewardship. “Peatland restoration reduces flood risk, sequesters carbon and lowers the likelihood of catastrophic peat fires,” CREA notes. The organization also urges the alignment of national fire‑safety regulations with international best practices, suggesting that stricter penalties for illegal slash‑and‑burn, combined with community education, can mitigate future spikes in mortality.
Environmental experts, including research scientists in Helsinki, underline that the Indonesian experience is a microcosm of broader global challenges: climate‑driven droughts increase fire frequency, and unchecked land use further amplifies the danger. The report thus positions Indonesia’s 2026 fire season as a case study for how climate variability, governance gaps and population vulnerability intersect, offering lessons for other fire‑prone nations.
Given the severe health implications—an increase of over 1,500 deaths in one month—public health authorities are expected to intensify emergency response measures. The Ministry of Health has indicated plans to deploy mobile air‑quality monitoring units and expand public alerts in fire‑high‑risk provinces, a move that CREA welcomes as a necessary complement to longer‑term land‑management reforms.
In sum, the September spike in air‑pollution deaths underscores the urgent need for climate‑adaptive fire management, exacerbated by El Niño‑induced droughts. The CREA report not only quantifies the deadly toll but also carves a roadmap for prevention, restoration, and enforcement, signaling a pivotal moment for Indonesia’s fight against climate‑related health disasters.
