‘It smells like charred earth’: BBC at Indonesia fire epicentre causing Singapore and Malaysia haze crisis

The BBC is on the ground in Indonesia's Central Kalimantan where burning peatlands continue to blanket large parts of South East Asia in toxic smog

A pungent charred earth smell wafts through the air and smoke billows from the ground, as peatlands continue to burn underneath, our Indonesia correspondent Liza Tambunan reports

The haze has brought misery to Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and parts of the Philippines for weeks now. In Indonesia alone, tens of thousands have fallen ill

The haze has also cast a literal dark cloud on recent F1 races and concerts in Malaysia and Singapore

Pressure is mounting on Indonesia to stop the fires that are causing the haze, which have been made worse by an unusually strong El Niño

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The economic cost of this year's smog will exceed that of the 2015 crisis, which caused the region roughly $20bn (£15bn) in losses, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) professor Euston Quah tells the BBC.

That episode was one of the worse haze crises in the region, estimated to have cost Singapore alone more than S$1.8bn ($1.4bn; £1.05bn) in nationwide economic losses, according to NTU.

South East Asia's economy and population have grown since then, making the impact to productivity and medical bills from the toxic smog more severe, says Quah, who has studied the impact of haze for almost two decades.

The total cost to the region remains unclear and will depend on when the haze ends, he adds.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLiza TambunanReporting from Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan

Burning peatlands can be seen across Central Kalimantan

We flew into South Kalimantan because the thick haze is causing major flight disruptions in Central Kalimantan. So we’re taking the popular alternative: fly into Banjarmasin and drive five hours to Palangkaraya.

Along the road, I was surprised to see many people walking around without masks, left with no choice but to breathe the polluted air.

It didn’t take long to find burned areas. Less than 30 minutes from the airport, I saw several hotspots: smouldering peatland with smoke billowing from the ground despite no visible flames.

Many fires occur on peat, which refers to carbon-rich soil that becomes dangerously flammable when drained and dry. Some blame deforestation and peat degradation for the fires. Others accuse large-scale plantation owners of illegally clearing land by burning.

Meanwhile, scientists say the ongoing super El Niño is exacerbating dry conditions, fueling Indonesia’s worst fires in over a decade and sending toxic haze as far as Singapore and Malaysia.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingLiza TambunanReporting from South Kalimantan

Heavy toxic haze blankets a road connecting South and Central Kalimantan

I flew out of Jakarta just as haze began drifting in from Kalimantan, the very region I was heading toward.

As our plane approached Syamsudin Noor Airport in South Kalimantan, the view below was partially obscured by haze. The landing was rough – though I wasn’t sure if that was due to poor visibility, the haze itself, or something else entirely.

Stepping outside, my sense of smell was immediately hit by an acrid odor unlike anything I’ve smelled before – a pungent mix of burned rubber, charred earth, and wood.

Though it was only 10 in the morning, the sky was gloomy and the morning sun hidden. The longer I stood outside, the drier my eyes became from the toxic smog lingering in the air.

Checking an air quality site on my phone, Banjarmasin was recording hazardous levels at 569. Anything over 100 is considered unhealthy.

I quickly took shelter inside the car taking us to Palangka Raya in Central Kalimantan, one of the worst-affected areas where fires have been ravaging for months.

Shareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharing It's another hazy morning in large swathes of South East Asia, where tens of millions of people have now been living with unhealthy air for weeks.

The haze – which has blanketed parts of Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines – comes from smouldering peatlands in Central Kalimantan, on the Indonesian side of Borneo island.

Tens of thousands in Indonesia alone have fallen ill because of the haze, which also cast a literal dark cloud over recent F1 races in Malaysia and Singapore.

Pressure is intensifying on Indonesia to tackle the wildfires that cause the haze, which is shaping up to be the worst in recent years.

The BBC is on the ground in Central Kalimantan and we will bring you updates from epicentre of the region's haze crisis.

We will also be bringing you reports from our journalists across South East Asia.