Wildfires near Indonesia's new capital deepen an air pollution health crisis

Wildfires have burned within 30 to 40 kilometers of Nusantara, Indonesia's new capital under construction on the island of Borneo, as the country's dry season drives one of its most severe fire seasons in years. Fires were reported near the city's main toll road and inside a protected forest, stopping short of the government complex itself, though officials have pledged increased monitoring and patrols.

The pollution has already reached dangerous levels: one air quality monitor in neighboring Central Kalimantan province recorded fine particle concentrations that stayed above 600 micrograms per cubic meter for 24 hours, more than 40 times the World Health Organization's recommended daily limit. In the city of Balikpapan, respiratory disease diagnoses rose nearly 20% in August compared with July, reaching 1,361 cases, though health officials caution that a direct link to the fires has not yet been confirmed.

Much of Borneo's peatland has been drained and converted to oil palm plantations over recent decades, leaving it prone to uncontrollable burning during dry, drought-fueled conditions. Local residents describe rising anxiety, with children kept indoors and vulnerable family members needing extra care, while daily laborers and small traders say they have little choice but to keep working outdoors despite the health risks. "Why are people continually being asked to adapt to damage they didn't create?" said local environmental advocate Refinaya Jamiilfitriani.

Based on reporting by Niken D Sitoningrum for Mongabay. Read the original: https://www.eco-business.com/news/wildfires-rage-near-indonesias-new-capital-as-health-crisis-deepens/