Indonesia's Forest Fire Hotspots Drop 67 Pct, Dry Weather Keeps Risks High
By Nik Nurfaqih Nik Wil
JAKARTA, Oct 9 (NNN) -- Indonesia recorded a 67 per cent decline in forest and land fire hotspots, with 387 detected nationwide on Thursday night, down from 1,176 the previous day, although prolonged dry conditions continue to pose a risk of further fires.
The Forestry Ministry said the figures, recorded by its SiPongi satellite monitoring system as of 9.10 pm local time Thursday, showed hotspots across six priority provinces also fell from 543 to 268.
It noted that South Sumatra recorded the highest number at 130 hotspots, followed by Central Kalimantan (86), South Kalimantan (37), West Kalimantan (12) and Jambi (three), while Riau recorded none.
“The decline in hotspots is a positive development in forest and land fire control efforts. However, vigilance must be maintained," the ministry said in its latest Instagram update on Friday.
In an accompanying video, the ministry said 61 aircraft remained available for firefighting operations, comprising 44 for water bombing and 17 for aerial patrols and weather modification, alongside ground teams tackling fires in affected areas.
The ministry said particular attention was being given to peatland fires, where embers could continue burning beneath the surface even after visible flames had subsided, requiring prolonged soaking and cooling operations to prevent fires from reigniting.
Despite the decline in hotspots, it said air quality remained unhealthy to very unhealthy in parts of Sumatra, Kalimantan, Java and Papua, with some areas of Kalimantan recording hazardous levels of fine particulate matter (PM2.5).
Meanwhile, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) warned that predominantly dry conditions could increase the risk of forest and land fires, particularly in areas experiencing prolonged dry spells.
“The prevailing dry conditions remain a concern as they could increase the risk of forest and land fires, particularly in areas that have experienced prolonged periods without rain,” it said in its latest weekly weather outlook.
BMKG said very strong El Nino conditions and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) were suppressing rain cloud formation, with 70.59 per cent of Indonesia recording low rainfall during the final 10 days of September.
It forecast that 66.09 per cent of the country would experience low rainfall of between zero and 50 millimetres during the second 10-days of October, particularly across southern Sumatra, Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, central and southern Kalimantan, Sulawesi and parts of Papua.
However, BMKG said moderate rainfall remained possible in several provinces, including South Sumatra, Jambi and West Kalimantan between Oct 9 and 11, while strong winds could affect Central and South Kalimantan.
--NNN
