‘Everything is covered in ash’: Indonesia wildfires leave people in crisis

Kubu Raya, Indonesia – As wildfires burn across Indonesia, forcing schools to close and thousands to seek medical treatment for exposure to thick haze and ash, locals in West Kalimantan say the situation is more serious than it has been in years. This is the first time something like this has happened,” Salma, a resident of Kubu Raya, tells Al Jazeera. For nearly two weeks in the area, she said, fires grew and spread.

So I evacuated,” Salma said, adding that the fire “almost burned everything”. Wildfires have been burning for more than a month, and blazes continue to spread through the hot spots of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Java, and Papua, as emergency crews battle the flames. On Tuesday, President Prabowo Subianto said the government had deployed dozens of helicopters, aircraft, water pumps, and thousands of personnel to battle the blazes.

Indonesia’s Health Ministry says 3.4 million people are at risk of respiratory infections due to exposure, adding that it had distributed more than 260,000 face masks to residents of the hardest-hit areas. In Kabu Raya and other parts of West Kalimantan, emergency crews say they are grappling with difficult conditions as fires spread quickly through the dried-up peatland. They are also grappling with water shortages and haze hampering visibility.

He added that he and other volunteers “face limitations in terms of personal protective equipment, as well as emergency equipment such as portable oxygen and other supplies”, severely complicating their task of putting out the fires. Every day, between 50 and 70 people come in,” said Dr Muhammad Arief Trihapsoro, at the Sungai Durian Health Clinic. Conditions like bronchitis are a major concern, as well as the long-term impacts of prolonged exposure to air pollution, including a heightened risk of stroke and heart disease.

Medics say pregnant women and children are among the most vulnerable. Many parents have had to bring their children to health clinics and hospitals several times as symptoms associated with the fires keep reappearing. They have stomachaches, fever, coughs and runny noses,” Siti Zahra, a mother of two, told Al Jazeera.

So, in this one month, they have been sick three times because of the smoke, ash, drought and fires.” Zahra said that it’s impossible to avoid the ash, as it even invades their home. Not just once a day – even after I sweep, there is more ash in the back of the house. I sweep it up, and then there is more.