Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian people risk having their lifeexpectancy shaved off by four years on average due to exposure to dangerousparticulate matter caused by the haze from forest fires, according to the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago.

Almost every year, toxic haze caused by wildfires engulfs vast parts of Sumatraand Kalimantan, filling the lungs of millions of people living in these areas, the Jakarta Post reported.

The fires typically occur as a result of slash and burnpractices to clear land for oil palm or pulpwood plantations. As of September 20, there were 5,086 fire hotspotsrecorded in Indonesia and 328,724 hectares of land burned, according theNational Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

In Central Kalimantan’scapital city of Palangkaraya, home to over 280,000 people, the air quality index(AQI) on September 16 was reported at the hazardous level of 452, according toAirVisual. Thus hundreds of thousands of people are exposed to high levels ofunhealthy particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 microns (PM2.5) or less.

This level of exposure totoxic air puts people in Riau and Kalimantan provinces at high risk ofdeveloping acute respiratory syndrome, an infection caused by inhaling unsafelevels of particulate matter in the air.

The number of acuterespiratory syndrome cases in West Kalimantan reached more than 15,000 cases inJuly, whereas in Riau, the figure reached 15,346 in the first two weeks ofSeptember, according to the Health Ministry ofIndonesia.

Local governments inSumatra and Kalimantan have instructed families, especially children, to stayinside to avoid toxic air; while some civil society organisations aredistributing N95 masks.

The BNPB reported thatauthorities have deployed dozens of helicopters, with over 200 million litersof water to extinguish the fires. The country’s Social Affairs Ministryand other government bodies have also set up dozens of safe houses, which areclosed off spaces with air purifier units and oxygen tanks that can filterindoor air. But these devices are often too costly.

A lower-cost solution could be self-assembled and locally sourced air purifier units. Forinstance, a makeshift fan filter unit (FFU) can be assembled using shortstanding fans or floor fans, attached with a high-efficiency particulate airfilter which can be found in car service outlets. The units can beinstalled with governmental subsidies so that allaffected families can access the necessary protection. Itshould also be installed in schools to protect children.

Recently, Indonesian Health Minister Nila Moeloek voiced her support in using simpletechnological solutions to protect communities against the haze.

Facing the current hazeseason, civil society organisations and the government could work closelytogether to urgently respond to the public health needs with tools such asself-assembled FFU units and other appropriate and available solutions./.