WIDER IMAGE — The women volunteers of Borneo battling worst wildfires in 11 years

Photo essay: By Willy Kurniawan KETAPANG, Indonesia, Sept 24 (Reuters) — The sky over Indonesia's Borneo island is orange and heavy with smoke as a result of the country's worst wildfires in more than a decade, which have left swathes of forest blackened and many locals suffering from respiratory problems. Another thing farmer Juniarni has noticed is the birds have fallen silent, victims of the fires and choking smog. Typically, the birds are everywhere in the village of Sungai Awan Kiri in West Kalimantan province where she lives, their chirping a constant reminder of their presence. Now, there is only silence, she says, another sign of the impact of the fires on the environment. "They haven't done anything wrong. Why are they the victims?" said 48-year-old mother-of-three Juniarni, who uses one name like many Indonesians. "There were fires everywhere around us." Fires are always a risk in the dry season. This year they have been raging for longer than usual, especially on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, and have been made worse by the drought-inducing El Niño weather pattern, prompting efforts to control their spread. That includes Juniarni and over 140 other women who make up