Toxic haze from Indonesian fires chokes Malaysian Borneo

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – Smoke from forest and peatland fires burning across Indonesia has pushed air quality in parts of Malaysian Borneo to hazardous levels, triggering a surge in respiratory illness and forcing the cancellation of outdoor Independence Day celebrations.The smoke – drifting from fires in Sumatra and in Kalimantan, the Indonesian portion of Borneo Island – has settled over the Malaysian state of Sarawak for much of August. It has also reached peninsular Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4‘Everything is covered in ash’: Indonesia wildfires leave people in crisislist 2 of 4‘We can’t breathe’: Indonesians battle wildfire hazelist 3 of 4Indonesia battles haze as wildfires rage across South Sumatra forestslist 4 of 4Governments brace for historic El Nino impacts on global weather extremesend of listIt is the region’s worst haze episode since 2015, when fires in Indonesia exposed tens of millions of people to toxic smoke and caused more than 500,000 people to suffer respiratory ailments.On Tuesday, six areas in Sarawak recorded hazardous air quality, with readings above 300 on Malaysia’s Air Pollutant Index. Anything above 100 is...