The Borneo Fire of 2015 was just one of many disasters that, too often, somehow just get ignored. However, this single incident was responsible for the haze that affected over 28 million people in Borneo, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand – affecting over 140,000 with severe respiratory problems, with children and the elderly most badly affected.
A special study also estimated that the pollution may be responsible for over 100,000 indirect deaths where inhalation of the smoke resulted in strokes, heart attacks, and other illnesses.
Other reports say that the pollution may have spread as far as Saipan and South Korea.
But what caused The Borneo Fire? Evidence points to uncontrolled deforestation through financially-motivated hack-and-slash clearing employed by cash crop farmers who do it simply to cut costs and increase profits.
Deforestation & Fires: How Are They Related?
While deforestation and forest fires may seem unrelated, the truth is that deforestation leaves the ground and low-lying vegetation to dry under sun’s heat as well as being unable to capture and retain moisture.
The situation is further aggravated by the severe wet and dry climate in different regions brought about by El Niño, which swings vast depths of warm ocean water in polar directions to different regions and, in turn, affects global precipitation and rainfall. In Indonesia, this means a prolonged dry season, making dry deforested areas even more vulnerable to fires – where even the smallest spark can start an initial flame that can set entire forests and peatland ablaze – the latter capable of burning underground for months at a time.
The Situation in Malaysia
The haze caused by forest fires in Indonesia is hardly a local issue only and parts of Malaysia are also affected by the pollution blown across the South China Sea. As the Borneo fires raged, unhealthy API readings were recorded in 24 locations across the country. The government ordered 3,029 schools to be closed and 1,909,842 students were affected. Flights were delayed or cancelled, and, in the worst scenarios, people were suffering from severe respiratory problems.
Compounding the haze blowing in from Borneo were local forest fires caused by irresponsible hunters also contributed to the situation – started intentionally by the hunters to drive deer out of hiding.
On the Ground with Disaster – The Case of Mawi
It is said that when a person dies, it is a tragedy; but when a million are killed, it becomes just another statistic. As such, to understand the disaster on a personal level, we think that the horror can only be related through a near-tragedy of a family worst hit by the disaster when their son of 10 years was hospitalised. This is their story.
Mawi, a primary school student in Sarawak, was initially overjoyed when it was announced that school was closed and he could stay at home.
However, the situation quickly took a turn for the worse when he was let out to play due to his boredom and while his mother was out grocery shopping. The polluted air would trigger an asthma attack – and the boy collapsed to the ground panting and unable to breathe, his eyes red and tearing up uncontrollably as he lay desperately trying to catch his breath in the doorway to his house.
His neighbours, immediately realising that something was terribly wrong as the boy lay convulsing and disturbingly unresponsive, got in touch with his mother and an ambulance. Fortunately, Mawi would fully recover due to the quick thinking of his rescuers. It was a frightening experience he would never want to go through again.
Mawi is just one story from possibly thousands of others. If the study modelling the estimated hundred thousand deaths is accurate, then that haze has killed approximately 5 times more than 3.11 (san ten ichi-ichi, or the Tōhoku earthquake disaster). Let that sink in.
Health Hazards
Air pollution from forest fires is responsible for thousands of deaths, severe respiratory problems, disruption of normal life, and significant environmental damage.
Image source: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/
In 2019, 670 recorded forest fires in Malaysia were recorded, and some have even died because of the ensuing air pollution. Long-term exposure to air pollution caused by forest fires poses a serious threat to public health and can cause asthma attacks, heart failure, and lung cancer, as well as damage the brain, kidneys, liver, nerves, and other organs.
Forest fire smoke has also been recorded to increase the vulnerability to diseases such as COVID-19 as it weakens the immune system. Children and the elderly are more at risk and make up a disproportionate number of serious cases.
What Can Be Done?
Because of the severity of the consequences, it not only does not make sense that steps should be taken to stop or slow deforestation and resulting forest fires but also a moral responsibility. As a problem transcends national borders, a concerted effort must be made if we hope for meaningful change – and steps must be carefully planned and actively implemented.
The first step (which is gaining widespread practice) is to simply change society’s attitude towards paper waste and recycling. By reducing our reliance on paper new products, we also reduce supply and demand for cut timber, which in turn will give forests a chance to recover – especially if supported by active replanting efforts. Adopting a ‘paperless’ work system at offices and at home is a good way for ordinary people to get involved.
The second more forceful approach would be to petition governments and consumers alike to put heat on producers to adhere to conservation regulations and responsible logging practices. The public should be proactive in supporting companies that are committed to these rules by purchasing paper products that are produced only through sustainable production.
Most importantly, these plans must involve every layer of society – from government policy, business & industry, right down to the individual. After all, all it takes is one unsnuffed cigarette thrown away thoughtlessly to, quite literally, open up ‘hell on Earth’ as some lucky (or unlucky) survivors of forest fires have lamented regarding their close brush with mortality – and irresponsible deforestation is its harbinger.