Indonesian wildfires spurred by super El Niño choke South
Indonesia is facing a severe wildfire season exacerbated by a 'super El Niño' event, with conditions described as worse than the 2015 crisis. Firefighters are struggling to contain deep-seated peatland fires that can burn underground for extended periods.
Why it matters
The intensification of wildfires due to climate patterns poses significant threats to regional air quality, biodiversity, and global carbon emissions.
Indonesia's government warns dry weather this month will make conditions in the weeks ahead the toughest for fire crews. ( ABC News: Tim Swanston )
Link copied Share Share article For three exhausting months, Andri Susanto and his crew have been fighting raging forest and land fires on the island of Borneo.
For many, it's reminiscent of 2015, a horrid fire season that led to a smoke haze and air pollution crisis across parts of South-East Asia.
But Andri said this time around felt different.
"Conditions in 2026 are indeed worse than in 2015," Andri said.
Andri Susanto says the this year's fire season feels worse than the one in 2015. ( ABC News: Ari Wu )
"The impact of El Niño has been so severe across Indonesia, and water sources have begun to dry up."
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