Toxic Haze Over 25 Years!

 

The recurring haze in Southeast Asia persists because of unchecked slash-and-burn land clearing, highly flammable drained peatlands, and weak cross-border enforcement laws that have failed to stop corporate burning over the past 25 years:

 

·  Slash-and-burn clearing: Farmers and plantation companies use fast, cheap fires to clear tropical forests for oil palm and paper pulp.

·   Peatland destruction: Draining water from underground peat swamps dries out centuries-old carbon stores, turning them into deep, smoky underground fires that are very hard to put out.

·   El Niño weather cycles: Periodic dry, hot weather patterns worsen droughts, allowing fires to spread rapidly across Sumatra and Borneo.

 

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org

The problem continues because:

 

·                     Lack of strict enforcement: Agreements like the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution rely on national sovereignty and consensus, meaning there are no regional fines or cross-border prosecution powers against guilty companies.

·                     High profit margins: The immense financial value of commodities like palm oil incentivizes repeated land development despite seasonal bans 

Many of the ongoing fires have been burning across Sumatra and Indonesian Borneo since mid-July – underpinned by a so-called Super El Niño that is exacerbating drought conditions. Between July and August, Indonesia's Health Ministry recorded over 50,000 cases of respiratory infections linked to land and forest fires. More than 12,000 of those cases are of children under the age of five. Malaysia, meanwhile, has reported rising cases of asthma and conjunctivitis amid worsening air quality nationwide as smoke continues to drift across the border.

Today, large-scale fires are often associated with the expansion of industrial plantations and other commercial land use. Environmental groups, researchers, and government investigations have repeatedly alleged that some companies use fire as a cheap and effective way to clear vast areas of land. What makes Indonesian Borneo's wildfires particularly worrying is that they are burning through one of the world's largest tropical peatland ecosystems. Under normal conditions, these peatlands serve as gigantic carbon reservoirs. But under abnormal conditions, such as those currently hitting the region, they can become carbon "bombs". 

The prolonged transboundary haze is costing Malaysia between RM20 million and RM50 million daily in economic disruptions, soaring healthcare bills, and lost worker productivity, according to experts. The hardest-hit sectors are tourism and aviation. Air pollution can cut arrivals by up to 8%, with GDP losses up to RM1.5 billon a month. 

Why can’t there be solutions? For 25 years people have suffered. Can’t the authorities bring to book the companies and their directors. What’s the purpose of ASEAN if you can’t solve a 25-year-old problem? An ASEAN people movement must move these governments to find lasting solutions!

References:

Toxic wildfire haze spreads across Southeast Asia as 'super' El Niño intensifies, BBC Indonesian, Gavin Butler and Virma Simonette, 3 September 2026 

Economic toll of haze in Malaysia could hit RM1.5b a month as business and health costs mount, experts say, Malay Mail, 14 October 2026