The number of Indonesians suffering respiratory problems caused by smoke from forest and peatland fires blanketing parts of Borneo and Sumatra in the past few months is approaching 900,000, according to the authorities. Data released late on Friday by the Crisis Mitigation Centre of Indonesia’s Ministry of Health showed that a total of 885,026 people have been suffering from acute respiratory infections. Of the total, 291,807 cases were recorded in South Sumatra province and 268,591 cases in Riau province, both on Sumatra, followed by West Kalimantan province on Borneo with 163,662 cases. The haze has affected air quality not only in Indonesia, but also in Malaysia, Singapore and as far away as Thailand and the Philippines. The haze is back. Can Malaysia and Indonesia clear the air? The smog has forced Indonesia and Malaysia to close thousands of schools, with hundreds of Malaysian flights also cancelled. Meanwhile, an operation to put out the fires with water bombing and cloud seeding is under way involving almost 30,000 personnel and over 50 helicopters. Forest and peatland fires in Indonesia are most frequent between April and October, mostly caused by slash-and-burn farming practices. Despite the seriousness of the haze problem this year, Indonesia remains unwilling to accept offers of help from neighbouring countries. In its Saturday editorial, the English-language Jakarta Post criticised the government for insisting on handling the problem on its own. “Optimism that we can contain the fires ourselves does not help while children suffer even more from the effect of toxic pollutants compared with adults,” it said. “We need all the help we can get. Now.”