10m kids at risk: UN

Air pollution from Indonesian forest fires is putting nearly 10 million children at risk, the United Nations warned yesterday, as scientists said the blazes were releasing vast amounts of greenhouse gases.

The fires have been spewing toxic haze over Southeast Asia in recent weeks, closing schools and airports, with people rushing to buy face masks and seek medical treatment for respiratory ailments.

Jakarta has deployed tens of thousands of personnel and water-bombing aircraft to tackle the slash-and-burn blazes set to clear agricultural land. The fires are an annual problem but this year are the worst since 2015 due to dry weather.

Almost 10 million people under 18 -- a quarter of them below five -- live in the areas worst affected by fires on Indonesia’s Sumatra island and the country’s part of Borneo island, UN children’s agency UNICEF said.

“Poor air quality is a severe and growing challenge for Indonesia,” said Debora Comini from UNICEF.

“Every year, millions of children are breathing toxic air that threatens their health and causes them to miss school -- resulting in lifelong physical and cognitive damage.”

From the start of August to mid-September, the Indonesian fires emitted about 360 megatonnes of the greenhouse gas, the service said. One megatonne is equivalent to one million tonnes.

Major forest fires are a double blow to the climate. As well as releasing greenhouse gases, the blazes destroy a natural buffer against global warming as forests suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.