Indonesia legislator urges emergency status for wildfire-hit regions

Indonesian legislator Irma Suryani Chaniago is urging the government to declare regions affected by forest and land fires (Karhutla) as an extraordinary occurrence (KLB). This call follows reports that tens of thousands of toddlers have been exposed to acute respiratory infections (ISPA) due to wildfire haze.

Data from the Ministry of Health indicates that between August and September 2026, there were 174,694 cases of ISPA across 63 regencies and cities in seven provinces, including Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan. Of these cases, 40,363 involve children aged 0 to 5 years.

Chaniago emphasized that the increasing scope of the fires and the rising number of respiratory victims constitute a pediatric health emergency. She has called on the Ministry of Health to deploy medical teams to affected areas to mitigate the risks of respiratory issues, eye irritation, and other serious health complications caused by haze particles.