Indonesians on fire-ravaged island sue state for clean air

Moving on now, residents of Indonesia's West Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo have filed a case of class action lawsuit against the government over reoccurring forest fires and toxic haze. The petition accused President Prabowo Subianto and 26 government officials of negligence and failure to adequately address the crisis. Well, the next court hearing is scheduled for 21st of October. On the ground, firefighters are continuing to battle peatland fires in West Kalimantan. the haze from burning forests and land have disrupted education, affected public health and hampered economic activity. Residents say the recurring disaster has left communities struggling to protect themselves, often with limited firefighting equipment and resources. As residents of West Kalimantan, we want to breathe fresh air, see clear skies and enjoy the sun as we normally would. We hope the state truly shows up. This is not a one-off disaster, but one that recurs every year in West Kalimantan. The case has been filed by four plaintiffs, including environmental and indigenous rights groups, representing residents affected by the haze. They allege that authorities failed to prepare adequately for the fire season despite warnings of an intense dry spell associated with the El Nino weather phenomena. The plaintiffs say local communities have been forced to shoulder much of the burden of fire suppression despite the government's greater resources and operational capacity if the government had truly been serious about extinguishing the fires there would be no haze anymore the government has all the resources while we in the community have limited means on the ground we see many community volunteers working to put out these fires themselves the plaintiffs have urged the government to declare a national emergency to mobilize additional resources for fire control and recovery while they've also demanded free health care for affected residents and compensation for families of those who have died from respiratory illnesses. The lawsuit further called for a thorough investigation into the causes of the fire including alleged land clearing by burning for agriculture, palm oil, timber and mining. Who has the authority to lead and coordinate across ministries and regional government? The president. That is why we have named the president as a party to the case the indonesian government says it respects the lawsuit and is providing firefighting and health care support while investigating 95 corporations suspected of contributing to the fires residents however are demanding long-term solutions to prevent reoccurring haze disasters the next court hearing is scheduled for 21st of october meanwhile smoke from indonesia's forest fires has also spread to neighboring malaysia and in Singapore. Well, in Singapore, haze persisted on Wednesday with air quality registering 181 on the U.S. Air Quality Index, a level classified as unhealthy by IQ Air, despite the poor air quality residents continued outdoor activities.