Indonesia’s air‑pollution‑related deaths surged 42 % in September, rising from an estimated 3,740 in August to 5,310, a report released Thursday by the Helsinki‑based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said.
CREA said smoke from widespread forest and land fires caused about 3,560 deaths in September, roughly double the August estimate, while chronic, non‑fire emissions from urban and industrial sources added another 1,750 deaths.
In four provinces in Kalimantan, 94 % to 99 % of air‑pollution deaths were attributed to toxic fire smoke; in several provinces of Sumatra it was over 80 %; Java’s deaths remained linked to urban and industrial sources, the report added.
Air‑pollution exposure affected an estimated 57.8 million people nationwide in September, with 333,470 acute respiratory infection cases linked to forest and land fires recorded by Indonesia’s Ministry of Health as of Oct. 21.
CREA blamed the surge on an El Niño‑driven drought that worsened wildfires and urged stronger fire prevention, peatland restoration, and enforcement against illegal land clearing.
