Health crisis grips Indonesians enduring haze: ‘my eyes sting, my head hurts’

AI Summary

Indonesian residents are suffering severe health impacts from thick haze caused by widespread wildfires on Borneo Island, with symptoms including eye irritation and headaches. The fires are partially attributed to the El Nino phenomenon affecting the broader Southeast Asian region.

Struggling to breathe through the acrid haze emanating from wildfires on Indonesia’s Borneo Island, residents said on Wednesday they feared for their health but had little to do but wait out the foul-smelling hazard. Indonesia, which shares Borneo with Malaysia and Brunei, is grappling with forest fires that have ravaged swathes of the island, partly caused by the El Nino climate phenomenon that has also affected other countries in Southeast Asia and beyond. In Pontianak, the capital of West...