Indonesia’s wildfires are expected to persist until early November, as the arrival of the rainy season is forecasted to be late. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni emphasized the importance of halting land-clearing practices that involve fire, especially during the ongoing extended drought. He made this statement during a media briefing on Wednesday, urging the public to adopt safer methods for land preparation.
Fires have been raging for weeks, especially on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Raja Juli warned at the beginning of September that El Nino-linked dry weather would peak this month, complicating efforts to contain the seasonal fire outbreaks.
Indonesia is battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years, with “super El Nino” weather conditions parching the country’s forests and fields.
State media outlet Antara cited Raja Juli as saying on Wednesday that the dry weather is expected to continue for at least another one and a half months. Transboundary haze has also caused unhealthy air conditions in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore. Cases of wildfire-related respiratory illness in seven affected provinces more than doubled to 113,336 from September 1 to September 9, with residents of West Kalimantan among the people suffering the worst from hazardous fire emissions. Indonesia has stepped up its firefighting efforts, deploying more than 50 aircraft to conduct water bombing and cloud seeding operations. Japan has also sent three CH-47 Chinooks to help battle the fires. (Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
He said the country’s weather agency had revised its forecast for the start of the rainy season to late October or early November, a month later than previously estimated. “These forest and wildfires will remain with us until October or early November,” he was quoted as saying in another report by news website Kompas.com. “We therefore urge individuals, farmers, and corporations alike to refrain from using fire during this very strong El Nino period,” he added.
