Indonesia is accelerating firefighting efforts both on the ground and from the air following severe forest fires in its central and western regions, while thick haze blankets various cities and drifts across borders, affecting neighboring countries.
Indonesia's National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) reported that the forest fires occurred amid prolonged dry conditions and the intensifying El Niño phenomenon, resulting in dense smoke covering many areas, including spreading to Malaysia and Brunei.
Authorities continue to mobilize forces to control fires in several areas, especially West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan provinces on the island of Borneo, as well as Riau, South Sumatra, and Jambi provinces on the island of Sumatra.
President Prabowo Subianto visited Central Kalimantan province, which has been affected by forest fires and burning areas, before proceeding to Riau province on Sumatra island, where over 11,500 hectares (about 28,427 acres) have already burned.
The Indonesian leader pledged that the government would continuously support firefighting operations, including deploying additional water-dropping helicopters and supplying oxygen to firefighting personnel, while ordering relevant agencies to report progress directly to him.
Indonesia's Ministry of Transportation also permitted 35 foreign-registered aircraft to join the firefighting mission, conducting water drops and aerial patrols, with the flexibility to be rapidly redeployed to affected areas as situations evolve.
Satellite data from Indonesia's Ministry of Environment showed that South Sumatra province had the highest number of hot spots at 1,429, followed by West Kalimantan with 1,226, and Central Kalimantan with 811. East Kalimantan recorded 576, and Riau 503 hot spots.
The Ministry of Forestry reported that nearly 94,000 hectares (approximately 232,347 acres) were burned in July alone.
Officials noted that drought, strong winds, and dry vegetation have made fire control extremely difficult, while more than 10,700 ground firefighting personnel have been unable to reach some fire sites, prompting requests for additional water-dropping helicopters and fire trucks.
Indonesia has resumed cloud-seeding operations over Kalimantan island, deploying 30 helicopters for water-dropping and aerial patrols, while another 22 helicopters operate over Sumatra island.
Forest fires are a recurring problem during Indonesia’s dry season, especially due to land clearing by burning for agriculture. This not only reduces visibility and disrupts land and air travel but also harms health and can escalate into transboundary haze pollution across Southeast Asia.
Meanwhile, Malaysia has been severely affected by the haze, with the eastern state of Sarawak among the hardest hit areas. Authorities ordered nearly 600 schools to close, impacting around 200,000 students to ensure their safety.
:SourceAP
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