Indonesia wildfires produce severe haze across Southeast Asia harming health
Southeast Asia is dealing with thick haze this year, mostly because of huge wildfires burning across Indonesia.
The smoke has made air quality really bad in places like Singapore and Malaysia, leading to more people getting sick, school closures, and even flight disruptions.
From January to August this year, more than 637,000 hectares were damaged. It's a big environmental hit for the region.
Indonesia mobilizes over 60,000 personnel
Indonesia has sent out over 60,000 personnel and used water-bombing to fight the fires, but pollution levels are still dangerously high in some areas.
Nearly 2,000 flights were affected between August and October, and many schools had to shut down temporarily.
People are hoping the rain expected in November will help clear things up soon.
Meanwhile, Indonesia's response has faced criticism for not accepting help from neighboring countries during this crisis.