Indonesia wildfires burn 2 lakh hectares, push air pollution to 75x WHO limit

Wildfires spanning over 2,00,000 hectares across Indonesia’s Kalimantan and Sumatra are releasing ancient carbon stored in peatlands for thousands of years. Air pollution has reached 75 times WHO limits, affecting over 10 million people, with 50,000 respiratory cases reported. Toxic haze has spread to Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Philippines. El Niño-driven dry conditions fuelled the blazes.