Indonesia shuts schools as wildfire haze blankets parts of archipelago
Indonesia has closed schools in Pontianak due to hazardous haze caused by wildfires, which are being exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon. Firefighters are also struggling to contain a large blaze in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park.
Why it matters
The combination of climate-driven weather patterns and wildfires poses significant risks to public health, education, and biodiversity in Southeast Asia.
Dozens of Indonesian schools were shuttered for a second day on Tuesday against the spreading haze of wildfires plaguing the archipelago at the start of a long and intense dry season worsened by El Nino.In West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo that Indonesia shares with Malaysia and Brunei, the mayor of Pontianak ordered schools closed due to the smoke wafting over the city from fires elsewhere.Public records show Pontianak has tens of thousands of public school pupils.Children will learn from home for as long as air quality remains poor, mayor Edi Rusdi Kamtono said in a statement on Monday, without stating how many schools were affected."We have started to feel it, especially at night and in the morning, as haze has already blanketed the city of Pontianak," he said.On the island of Java, firefighters battled flames for a ninth day at a national park that has lost 900 hectares…
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in