Millions at risk from fire smoke in Indonesia - Taipei Times

‘DEAD CITY’:

A Pekanbaru resident said people do not dare go out at night when the smog is thicker, while a woman in Jambi said she had trouble breathing

AFP, PEKANBARU, Indonesia

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Millions of Indonesians risk health complications from exposure to thick haze covering several cities and towns, officials said yesterday, as El Nino-fueled wildfires wreak havoc on Borneo and Sumatra islands.Indonesia, a vast archipelago, has for weeks battled wildfires that have led to school closures and thousands of people requiring medical treatment, with smoke also reaching neighboring Malaysia and Singapore.The Indonesian Ministry of Health said 3.4 million people living in seven provinces on Borneo and Sumatra were at risk of respiratory infections due to exposure.