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View all search resultsToxic forest fire pollution chokes children’s health
Nearly half of acute respiratory illness cases caused by wildfire in Sumatra and Kalimantan recorded in the past two months are children who are more vulnerable to wildfire haze because of their biological conditions.
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School students wear mask while walking on the street in Palembang, South Sumatra as the city is hit by haze from forest and peatland fire. (Antara/Nova Wahyudi)
C
hildren are bearing the brunt of the escalating crises triggered by widespread wildfires in the country as wildfires disrupt many aspects of their daily lives, sparking yet another call for an urgent response from authorities.
As Indonesia struggles to contain one of its worst wildfire episodes in recent years, more than 10 million people are currently exposed to hazardous levels of air quality, according to the Health Ministry, with the haze also drifting to neighboring countries like Malaysia and Singapore.
The burning forest and peatland across Sumatra and Kalimantan have resulted in 314,124 cases of acute respiratory illness, as recorded by the ministry between Aug. 20 and Oct. 19. Around a quarter of the figure, or 77,144 cases, came from schoolchildren aged between 6 and 9 years old, followed by those younger than five with 69,335 cases.
With more children suffocating in the polluted air and limited outdoor activities that force schools in Sumatra and Kalimantan to shut down, nonprofit group Indonesian Philanthropy Association (PFI) warned of the danger of putting an entire generation at stake if no comprehensive measures are taken to tackle the recurring fires.
The report defined these children as a “lost generation”, referring to a demographic cohort whose physical or cognitive abilities are being wiped out because of early exposure to wildfire smoke.
Persistent exposure to wildfire smoke among children and unborn children may result in long-term cognitive and physical impairments, according to the group in a report published on Tuesday. The report was also produced by a research arm of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).
“We are gambling with an entire generation and cannot allow this tragedy to keep repeating,” PFI chair Rizal Algamar said in a statement on Tuesday.
