Indonesia’s annual forest and peat fires are largely a man-made crisis, with devastating health impacts for
Indonesia and Southeast Asia. Operating under weak and poorly enforced laws, plantation companies are
continuing their reckless practises: clearing forests, draining wet, carbon rich peatlands, and laying the
foundations for these fires, known as the Haze Wave. Left in their natural state, peat fires would rarely
occur, but decades of destruction have made parts of Indonesia a giant tinderbox – and a threat to the
health of millions in Sumatra, and the rest of the region. In Southeast Asia, smoke from peat and forest
fires can be attributed to 300,000 deaths during El Niño years.
This year, which is widely expected to be an El Niño year characterised by extended drought conditions in
Indonesia, the fire could exceed even last year’s impact. Singapore is taking action through a proposed
Transboundary Haze Law, but comprehensive action to tackle the fires at their root has not been
forthcoming from the Indonesian government. However, the Haze Wave is the most visible sign that
business as usual for the plantation sector cannot continue. Protecting all peatland and forests is the best
long-term solution we have to stop the fires and avoiding a public health disaster in the future.