Malaysia, Indonesia in high-level contact over haze as Jakarta deploys 60,000 to fight fires, says Indonesian minister

Jakarta, October 11 - Indonesia and Malaysia have held high-level diplomatic talks over the problem of transboundary haze caused by forest and land fires. The issue came to the forefront following a phone conversation between their respective leaders, amid rising concerns over deteriorating air quality. Indonesian Foreign Minister Arrmanatha Nasir revealed that he had spoken with his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan, to provide an update on Indonesia's firefighting initiatives.

Arrmanatha revealed that Indonesia has mobilized over 60,000 personnel to combat the fires. He acknowledged that the situation is challenging due to unfavorable weather conditions, but expressed hope that the problem will improve as rainfall is anticipated. This statement follows Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's assertion on Thursday that he had contacted Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto regarding the haze issue.

Anwar also pledged Malaysia's readiness to help Indonesia tackle the fires and instructed the Foreign Minister to contact the Asean Secretariat to arrange a meeting of regional environment ministers for coordination.

Indonesia's Forestry Ministry reported a significant surge in hotspots nationwide, with the total reaching 793 as of 9:10 pm local time on Saturday, compared to 437 the previous day. The six priority provinces now account for 421 hotspots, up from 270 a day earlier. Central Kalimantan leads the list, with 288 hotspots, followed by South Sumatra (60), West Kalimantan (44), South Kalimantan (28), and Jambi (1). Riau, on the other hand, reported no hotspots.

The ministry's monitoring system indicates that air quality, based on PM2.5 concentrations, remains unhealthy to very unhealthy in several regions, with pockets of hazardous pollution detected in parts of Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Papua. Out of 61 aircraft available, 44 are designated for water-bombing operations, while 17 are prepared for aerial patrols and weather-modification activities, aided by ground firefighting teams.