Watch: Orange haze blankets Indonesia's Kalimantan region

As Indonesia battles its worst wildfire season in a decade due to an unusually strong El Niño, toxic smog has choked millions of residents across Southeast Asia. The air quality index on the islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra reached hazardous levels, with 1,043,377 wildfire hotspots recorded and over 900,000 hectares of land burned. This year's wildfires are exacerbated by the "slash and burn" agricultural method used to clear farmland. The smog has drifted into neighboring countries like Singapore and Malaysia, forcing some schools in Malaysia to close and drawing criticism from officials there. In a recent statement that sparked controversy, Syahganda Nainggolan of Indonesia's government communications agency suggested that when there is no smoke, their forests send oxygen elsewhere, which was met with ridicule on social media. The air pollution index in Kalimantan's Palangka Raya exceeded 1,200, four times higher than the hazardous level, underscoring the severity of the situation.