UN: Indonesia haze risks lives of 10M children

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - A UN body on Monday warned that the haze having caused by the forest and peatland fires in Indonesia has put 10 million children at risk from air pollution.

A statement issued by UNICEF noted that small children are especially vulnerable to air pollution “because they breathe more rapidly.”

“Poor air quality is a severe and growing challenge for Indonesia,” said Debora Comini, UNICEF representative in Indonesia.

“Every year, millions of children are breathing toxic air that threatens their health and causes them to miss school -- resulting in lifelong physical and cognitive damage.”

The UN agency said nearly 2.4 million children under five live in the areas most affected by the haze and wildfires.

The burning forests in Indonesia since July 2019 has made life difficult for locals in some areas of the country as thick haze continue to cover skies.

Since the beginning of September, the sun has not been visible in the normally blue sky in the affected areas.

The UNICEF statement warned that air pollution affects babies even before they are born.

“Research has shown that babies born to mothers exposed to high levels of pollution during pregnancy are more likely to experience reduced growth while in utero, low birth weight, and be delivered preterm,” it added.

UNICEF said that children under the age of five do not fully develop their immunities, which makes them vulnerable.

Quoting Indonesia’s Education and Culture Ministry, it said that more than 46,000 schools are currently affected by poor air quality, impacting more than 7.8 million students.

The government was forced to close the schools due to continuous haze.

“It is vital that families and children receive accurate information regarding their exposure to toxic air pollution, as this will help them to protect themselves,” said Comini.