Indonesia's fires have burned nearly two million hectares
JAKARTA: Fires in Indonesia that have caused a regional haze crisis burned through over 1.9 million hectares between January and the end of September this year, a monitor analysing satellite imagery said on Monday.
Indonesia experienced fires that burned nearly two million hectares between January and the end of September, according to satellite imagery analysis. This year's blazes have been particularly severe, causing a regional haze crisis and affecting air quality in neighboring countries. The fires have burned an area nearly 12 times larger than London, with the bulk occurring during a drought from June, exacerbated by a strong El Nino cycle.
The Indonesian government has not declared the fires a national disaster and rebuffed calls for assistance, stating that the country is still capable of handling the situation. However, the true scale of the burning may be even higher than the 1,916,588 hectares detected so far. The haze has prompted school closures in Malaysia and East Timor, with Singapore recording 15 consecutive days of unhealthy air quality, surpassing the 2015 crisis.
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