Schools closed as Indonesia battles wildfires

Surabaya, Aug 11 - Dozens of Indonesian schools have been closed for a second day as smoke from wildfires across the archipelago blankets cities and worsens air quality at the start of an intense dry season exacerbated by El Nino. In West Kalimantan, the mayor of Pontianak ordered schools to close due to smoke wafting from fires elsewhere, with tens of thousands of pupils affected.

Firefighters battled flames for a ninth day at Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park on Java, which has lost 900 hectares to the inferno, one of several wildfires drawing over 50,000 firefighters nationwide. Indonesia faces an unusually tough dry season this year due to El Nino, a weather phenomenon causing drier conditions and heightened wildfire risk.

Over 107,000 hectares have burned this year, more than double the 2023 total. Authorities insist food stocks remain adequate, but authorities acknowledge the severity of the situation.