Indonesia Closes Schools Due to Wildfire Smoke

Kathmandu. Dozens of Indonesian schools were closed for a second day on Tuesday due to toxic smoke spreading from wildfires that broke out at the beginning of a long and intense dry season caused by El Nino.

The mayor of Pontianak, in West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo, which Indonesia shares with Malaysia and Brunei, said schools were closed due to toxic smoke spreading into the city caused by fires elsewhere. Mayor Edi Rusdi Kamtono said through a statement that children would be taught from home as long as air quality remained poor. He said that it was not clear how many schools were affected, but the city of Pontianak was beginning to feel covered by smoke.