Indonesia Expands Firefighting With 52 Helicopters as Forest Fires Burn 94,000 Hectares in July
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 24
Indonesia Expands Firefighting With 52 Helicopters as Forest Fires Burn 94,000 Hectares in July
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 24
Summary
Indonesia stepped up ground and aerial firefighting Monday, deploying 30 helicopters over Kalimantan and 22 over Sumatra as major forest and peatland fires kept burning across both islands.
El Nino, a prolonged dry season, strong winds and dry vegetation have driven the surge, while some hot spots remain unreachable for more than 10,700 firefighters and forced requests for more water-bombing support.
Riau alone has lost more than 11,500 hectares, and satellite data showed the most hot spots in South Sumatra at 1,429, followed by West Kalimantan with 1,226 and Central Kalimantan with 811.
President Prabowo Subianto visited fire-hit areas and pledged more helicopters and oxygen supplies, while the Transportation Ministry cleared 35 foreign-registered aircraft for water-bombing and patrol missions.
The haze has spread into Malaysia and Brunei; in Sarawak, nearly 600 schools were closed, affecting about 200,000 students.
Why do Indonesia's devastating peatland fires continue to choke Southeast Asia despite massive international firefighting efforts and annual government pledges?
As toxic haze shuts down foreign schools, will neighboring nations finally hold agricultural corporations accountable for these recurring fires?