1997 Indonesian forest fires

Air pollution over Southeast Asia in October 1997.

In 1997, forest fires in Indonesia spread thick smoke to Malaysia and Singapore. Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad sent Malaysian firefighters to Indonesia to help,^[1] calling it Operation Haze. This aimed to reduce the impact on Malaysia's economy, which lost an estimated 0.30% of its GDP due to the haze.^[2]

Seasonal rains in December briefly stopped the fires, but they returned soon after. By early 1998, countries like Brunei, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka^[3] were also affected by the smoke. By the end, 8 million hectares of land had burned, and millions of people suffered from air pollution.

References

1. New Straits Times - Nov 8, 1997
2. Indonesia's Fires and Haze: The Cost of Catastrophe By David Glover, Timothy Jessup, page 46
3. Jim, C.Y. (1999). Geography Vol. 84, No. 3 (The Forest Fires in Indonesia 1997-98: Possible Causes and Pervasive Consequences). Geographical Association. p. 255.