Indonesian villagers on Borneo struggle for water as El Niño intensifies peatland fires

PENYELADI, Indonesia (AP) — After three months with no rain, Sriwati, a shopkeeper and mother of three children living in Penyeladi village on the tropical island of Borneo, can no longer depend on the river for her needs.

Experts say communities like Sriwati’s are facing a severe water crisis as this year’s super El Niño, combined with decades of degradation of the island’s ecologically vital peatlands — ancient wetlands that are critical for carbon storage, water regulation and pollution control — has created the perfect storm exacerbating human-caused climate change.

The Kapuas, Indonesia’s longest river that over 3 million people rely on, has extremely receded in the area near her home. All that’s left is a shallow stream of muddy water that's not safe to drink or wash the rice she cooks to feed her children. She now has to buy water, adding to her monthly expenses.

“The water shortage affects us, especially when it comes to drinking water,” Sriwati, who like many Indonesians uses only one name, told The Associated Press from her small, concrete home.

El Niño is part of a natural climate cycle of warming ocean temperatures, but this year’s is expected to reach new extremes of drought, heat waves, flooding and other climate-related disruptions across the globe.

Meteorologists forecast it could exceed a record El Niño that began in 1997 and helped trigger billions of dollars in damage from heat waves, floods, droughts, tornadoes and wildfires.

In Borneo, experts say that because vast peatlands have been destroyed by land conversion, the effects of El Niño are already being more acutely felt.

“In Kalimantan, something like 60% of the peatland areas have been drained to make way for palm oil plantations and for pulp and paper concessions,” said Amanda Hurowitz, a senior director at international environmental organization Mighty Earth, using the name for the Indonesia-controlled part of Borneo.

“That means the water is not where it should be. There are all these canals, and because the canals are blocked, the water table goes low,” she continued. “Because it’s so dry, the water has just disappeared.”

In a written statement to the AP, Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry acknowledged the negative impact of drained peatlands, while insisting that specific causes and liabilities must be determined by evidence rather than attributed automatically to El Niño or the presence of businesses.

They added that the government aims to prevent future peatland degradation through ecosystem restoration and strict enforcement of concession holders’ obligations.

“The government’s long-term agenda focuses on preserving and restoring peatland hydrological functions, improving landscape and water management, strengthening fire prevention, and ensuring that all parties managing land fulfill their responsibilities,” they said.

Experts say the hot, dry conditions caused by El Niño coupled with peatland degradation have contributed to the enormous fires spreading across Borneo.

Dried peat is highly flammable, allowing fires to easily spread in drained areas. Because the fires often spread underground, they're difficult to extinguish and can easily reoccur, according to the Borneo Nature Foundation.

The dwindling water supply in the area has slowed down firefighting efforts, while Japan has deployed firefighting assistance to the island.

Toxic thick haze blankets the sky. The smoke has drifted as far as the Philippines, more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) away, and breached Malaysia’s emergency-level threshold for air pollution, forcing authorities to declare an emergency last week in a town in Sarawak state on Borneo.

In a written statement to the AP, Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry said the government is shifting its forest and land fire policy toward prevention by strengthening cross-sectoral coordination, enforcing laws against burning-based land clearing, expanding patrols and early detection systems, promoting risk-based monitoring and peatland restoration, and requiring permit holders and communities to take responsibility for fire control.

“Ultimately, controlling forest and land fires is not the task of a single ministry or institution,” they said. “Prevention requires collaborative effort.”

Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry recorded more than 202,000 hectares (499,000 acres) of burned land between January and July, almost three times the size of Singapore.

As the fires continue to burn and water remains scarce, communities continue to suffer.

In Sungai Malaya village in West Kalimantan, fires have burned for over a month, with residents remaining tense around the clock, as fires have sometimes suddenly worsened at night.

Fires have decimated the vacant lots where Rumsiyeh, a 45-year-old mother of five children, and her husband picked ferns to sell at the market.

“Everything’s gone. We can’t make a living anymore,” she said.

Boaters, fishers and others who rely on the river have had their livelihoods impacted, as extremely low water levels mean it’s impossible to fish or travel on the Kapuas. In the areas where there's enough water for boats to operate, the thick haze hampers visibility, making it dangerous to operate, fisherman Abiansah, 39, said.

And the national economic impact remains unmeasured: Large metal barges that usually carry oil palm tree kernels for processing downriver currently lie aground on the sand, as children swing from their untied mooring lines.

Some relief has come from private and government water donations, but residents still fear what the future holds.

“I’m worried about this prolonged dry spell. It’s reached the point where just going about our daily activities — going anywhere at all — has become difficult. We’re facing water shortages, too,” said Sriwati. “I’m at a loss for words to describe it.”

Milko reported from Islamabad.

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A woman carrying buckets walks with a boy along the Kapuas River amid haze in Sanggau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

Abiansah, a boat operator, left, talks with a man at a wooden dock along the Kapuas River amid haze in Sekadau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

A woman washes clothes on a floating wooden platform along the Kapuas River amid haze in Sanggau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

A man helps a woman climb aboard a tugboat grounded on a riverbed of the Kapuas River amid a drought in Sekadau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

People surround a barge that is stranded on a dry riverbed of the Kapuas River amid a drought in Sekadau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

Kids play soccer near a barge stranded on a dry riverbed of the Kapuas River amid a drought in Sekadau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

People look at a barge, back right, stranded on a dry riverbed of the Kapuas River amid a drought in Sekadau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

A boy climbs a rope hanging from a barge stranded on a dry riverbed of the Kapuas River amid a drought in Sekadau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

A man pilots a motorboat along the Kapuas River as a bridge is obscured by haze in Sekadau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

A groom helps a bride step between boats on the Kapuas River amid haze in Sekadau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

People ride a motorcycle past peatlands damaged by wildfires in Sekadau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

Soldiers spray water to put out wildfires burning in peatland forest in Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

Sriwati, a shopkeeper and mother, carries two containers filled with clean water during a drought in Sanggau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

A resident fills their container with clean water as others wait for their turn from a tanker truck amid a drought in Sanggau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia, Friday, Sept. 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

A medical helicopter transporting a patient crashed off Catalina Island near Los Angeles, killing two people and leaving two hospitalized, authorities said Thursday. Rescuers continued searching for a fifth person who was aboard the aircraft and went missing after the Wednesday night crash.

The Coast Guard, firefighters and divers with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department were among emergency personnel who searched through the night and into the afternoon.

The cause was not immediately clear. Coast Guard Capt. Stacey Crecy said the helicopter went down shortly after takeoff and hit the water a short distance from the island.

“We believe that the medical aircraft was transporting a person off the island for additional medical care on the mainland,” Crecy said.

Relatives of the missing person told ABC7 that the woman was being transported after having an allergic reaction. They also said her 20-year-old son went with her in the helicopter to help translate.

Sheriff Robert Luna said at an afternoon news conference that authorities were not yet identifying victims by name. But he described the two people that died as the male pilot and a female nurse. He also said another medic and a fourth person, a man, were hospitalized.

A memorial service was held on the island to honor the victims.

The crash came 11 days after a firefighting helicopter went down, killing two pilots in Yosemite National Park in California, and two weeks after a news helicopter crashed in Los Angeles, killing two people.

First responders were called to the Catalina crash shortly before 8 p.m. and pulled four people from the water. Two were pronounced dead at the scene, and two, in stable condition, were brought to hospitals on the mainland, the Los Angeles County Fire Department said.

Firefighters on the island were able to get to the scene quickly by boat, Crecy said.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it is investigating and identified the aircraft as a Eurocopter EC-135-P2. NTSB staff were expected to arrive on the scene later Thursday. The aircraft will be brought to a secure facility for evaluation, a board spokesperson said.

Authorities said the helicopter was submerged in 240 feet (about 70 meters) of water off Catalina, which is located about 22 miles (35 kilometers) off the mainland.

The helicopter landed on the island shortly after 7 p.m., following a 24-minute flight from an airport in Oceanside, according to the flight tracking service Flightradar24.

The helicopter was operated by REACH Air Medical Services of Sacramento.

“At this time, we are gathering information and coordinating with emergency responders and authorities,” the company said in a statement. “Our thoughts are with the families, loved ones and colleagues affected by this tragedy. We are focused on supporting our team and everyone impacted during this incredibly difficult time.”

The company said it was unable to share additional details out of respect for the people involved and the ongoing emergency response.

FILE - A view of the harbor on Catalina Island in Avalon, Calif, Saturday, April 18, 2020. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson, File)