‘It is tough’: Indonesia battles wildfires, bracing for worse to come
Nearly 95,000 hectares of land across Indonesia were burnt in July alone as dry conditions driven by a powerful El Niño weather pattern took hold.
Indonesia is grappling with an ongoing wildfire crisis, as smog from the blazes threatens the health of its people. Over 200,000 hectares of land have been scorched since the beginning of the year, an area nearly three times larger than Jakarta. The fires are particularly intense in Borneo, where nearly 95,000 hectares burned in July alone.
Forestry ministry official Yudho Shekti Mustiko said all 767 of his colleagues across Borneo were deployed to combat the fires, warning that the situation is far from over. September and October are expected to be extremely dry, with the worst of the fires yet to come. The fires have created thick smog, blanketing areas like Palangkaraya, the capital of Central Kalimantan.
The fires have also spread to Malaysian Borneo, with six areas in Sarawak recording unhealthy air quality. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said experts are on standby for cloud seeding operations to combat the fires, but will only be carried out if the conditions are suitable. Experts say the fires are a result of 40 years of deforestation, which has turned vast landscapes into tinderboxes. Rainfall is the only thing that can stop the fires, but it is unlikely to happen before November.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
