Illustrative Image (Source :internet)Jakarta (VNA) – The number of forest fires in Indonesia has increased remarkably over the last week, mainly on Sumatra islands.
According to the Indonesia Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Board (BMKD), 42 forest fire sites were discovered in the country, an increase of 13 fires since an announcement on March 18. The authority has warned 10 out of 31 forest fire hotspots in Riau province might suffer from both forest and land fires.
The authority said reasons for the increasing number of fires are severe weather conditions during the dry season coupled with the traditional habit of slash and burn. The country has deployed airplanes, military, police and firemen to control the fires.
In 2015, the Indonesian government carried out the largest campaign to tackle forest fires nationwide, which caused 17 deaths.
Serious haze conditions from the fires has spread to neighboring countries, causing critical affects to people’s health and economic repercussions.-VNA
