Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesian authorities on July 21 announced that the country's western region is currently on high alert for forest and land fires, with Riau province reporting the highest number of hotspots.
Accourding to the country’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the fires have spread extensively across Sumatra Island, affecting provinces including Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, West Sumatra, Jambi, and South Sumatra. In Riau, the most vulnerable and currently burning regencies are Kampar, Siak, Bengkalis, and Rokan Hilir, where more than 100 hectares of land have been scorched. Hotspots have also been detected in Central Kalimantan, while fires have been reported at final waste disposal sites in Central Java and East Java.
Abdul Muhari, head of the centre for data, information, and disaster communication at BNPB, in Jakarta said the hot and dry weather conditions have increased the risk, especially as rainfall has significantly declined across much of Sumatra.
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency office in Riau's Pekanbaru city reported that smoke from forest fires in the province has drifted into neighbouring Malaysia. Satellite monitoring shows the smoke crossing the Malacca Strait and reaching parts of the Malay Peninsula.
Forest fires have been the most frequent type of natural disaster in Indonesia since the beginning of July. Of the 42 disasters recorded this month, 33 were forest fires./.
