The Indonesian government is responding to forest and land fires on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, which have produced haze affecting air quality in neighboring Malaysia and Singapore in recent weeks. Malaysian officials have offered assistance in firefighting efforts, while Indonesian authorities have stated they are managing the situation.
The cross-border haze has prompted diplomatic and environmental responses from affected nations. Malaysia’s Environment Minister, Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, sent a letter to his Indonesian counterpart, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, offering assistance to combat the fires. In a statement released on Oct. 6, Nik Nazmi said the offer was made in the spirit of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution.
Air quality in several parts of Malaysia has deteriorated, according to data from the country’s Air Pollutant Index (API). On several days in early October, readings in multiple areas, particularly in Sarawak state on the island of Borneo, reached “unhealthy” levels. In response, Malaysian authorities ordered the temporary closure of hundreds of schools in affected regions.
Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Minister of Environment and Forestry, Siti Nurbaya Bakar, has addressed the situation, stating that the government is working to extinguish the fires. In public statements, she reported that the number of hotspots has been decreasing due to weather modification and water-bombing operations. Minister Bakar also stated that based on data from Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), no transboundary haze from Indonesia had been detected entering Malaysia.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo has instructed relevant agencies, including the military and police, to address the land and forest fires. The government has focused its efforts on fire suppression and law enforcement against individuals or companies found responsible for starting fires, which are often linked to land-clearing practices for agriculture.
In Singapore, the National Environment Agency (NEA) has also reported deteriorating air quality. The agency issued health advisories after its Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) entered the “unhealthy” range in early October. The NEA noted that the haze was attributable to winds carrying smoke from fires in Sumatra.
The ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, ratified by all 10 member states, is the primary regional framework for addressing the issue. The agreement calls for cooperation among nations to prevent, monitor, and mitigate land and forest fires to control smoke haze. The current situation continues to be monitored by environmental agencies across the region.
