A Long Suffocation: El Niño Ignites Indonesia—A Disaster That Could Have Been Prevented

Indonesia is experiencing what may be its worst wildfire season in a decade. From January to September 2026, fires reportedly burned more than 1.9 million hectares—an area approximately 25 times the size of Singapore. More than 300,000 people have developed fire-related respiratory illnesses, while smoke from Sumatra and Kalimantan has affected air quality across Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines.

Although the “super” El Niño brought severe drought, the report argues that the crisis was intensified by decades of deforestation, peatland drainage, plantation development and weak enforcement. Once drained, carbon-rich peatlands become highly combustible and may continue smouldering underground, making fires difficult to detect and extinguish.

Dr Wang Jingyu, a meteorology and climate expert at the National Institute of Education, identified three interacting factors behind the worsening transboundary haze: southerly winds carrying smoke towards Singapore and Malaysia, El Niño suppressing regional rainfall, and an unusually active typhoon season drawing moisture away from Southeast Asia.

Dr Wang expects these conditions to continue complicating firefighting efforts as El Niño approaches its peak. Climate models indicate that the north-east monsoon could become established between mid-November and early December, shifting Singapore and Malaysia from downwind to upwind of the affected areas.

However, a change in wind direction would provide only temporary relief. The report calls for peatland restoration, stronger corporate accountability, better firefighting resources and long-term reform of land-use governance. Dr Wang added that the haze has made climate change a direct and personal reality for Singaporeans through ill health, higher household expenses and disrupted daily routines.

Read the article from The Paper here.