Prabowo thanks personnel battling wildfires across Indonesia

Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto has ordered a significant increase in firefighting efforts to combat the ongoing land and forest fires, according to Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. The country is concentrating its resources on Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra provinces, while disregarding offers of assistance from neighboring Malaysia and Singapore, which were not discussed during a meeting held on Monday.

Over 60,000 personnel are involved in ground operations, with water bombing being conducted to aid in the suppression of the fires, according to Wijaya.

Ground operations have proven more effective due to the challenging terrain, as some areas are inaccessible by helicopter due to the thick smoke, reported Dudung Abdurachman, the Coordinating Political and Security Minister. Joint teams comprising the military, national police, and other agencies are currently engaged in firefighting, with each team capable of covering up to 692 hectares per day, according to Antara news agency.

To prevent excessive fatigue, personnel will be rotated frequently, stated Dudung. The health ministry has recorded nearly 175,000 cases of acute respiratory infections between August 18 and September 21 in areas affected by the fires, with over 40,000 cases involving children under five. The ministry is strengthening health posts and hospitals to serve those experiencing health issues due to the fires.