Wildfires ravaging Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo, are choking communities as far away as Malaysia with putrid haze, testing the resources and resolve of those having to endure them.Blamed partly on one of the worst episodes of the drought-inducing El Nino weather phenomenon in decades, the disaster threatens millions of people's access to necessities such as clean water and air -- even education.
Here is the situation as seen from the perspective of three community leaders in West Kalimantan, one of the worst-affected regions.
The teacher
Syarifah Hatifah, the 57-year-old vice principal of a junior high school in provincial capital Pontianak, fears some of her nearly 600 pupils may be falling behind.
They are in the third week of the second school closure this fire season. It's the longest closure Syarifah can remember in her 30-year career.
