PONTIANAK, Indonesia – Indonesian housewife Mimi Marlina rode a motorbike through thickening haze blanketing the city of Pontianak on Borneo island, making a foray to buy groceries and supplies as the Southeast Asian nation battles raging forest fires.
“We can still hold it off with medicines, but I’m concerned that if this persists, it will lead to worse illnesses,” said the masked 45-year-old mother of two children who are battling respiratory problems, from coughing and sore throats to fever.
The province of West Kalimantan on Borneo, home to Pontianak, is one of the areas worst hit by Indonesia’s most intense wildfires in 11 years as “super-El Nino” weather conditions drive up temperatures and cause punishing droughts.
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