Indonesia Intensifies Battle Against Widespread Forest Fires Amid El Nino Perils

Indonesia has ramped up its response to extensive forest and land fires across six provinces, deploying cloud-seeding aircraft to trigger rain. The efforts come as the nation grapples with a dryer climate due to an intensified El Nino, elevating risks of drought, fires, and air pollution.

Indonesia is intensifying its efforts to combat widespread forest and land fires, deploying cloud-seeding aircraft to induce rain across six priority provinces. Officials aim to slow the spreading haze as the region endures a longer and more severe dry season caused by an intensified El Nino, increasing the threat of drought, forest fires, and air pollution.

Forestry Ministry data reveals a striking rise in land affected by fires, with 107,465 hectares burnt from January to June—a 110% increase since the last El Nino hit Indonesia in 2023. Chief Security Minister Djamari Chaniago has sounded the alarm, warning that current weather conditions could exacerbate the fires.

Authorities have focused their efforts on Riau, Jambi, and South Sumatra in Sumatra—along with West, Central, and South Kalimantan in Borneo—where fires are mostly attributed to deforestation for palm oil plantations and other land-clearing activities. The haze has prompted school closures in West Kalimantan's capital, Pontianak, with similar outdoor activity restrictions in neighboring Malaysia's Sarawak state.