Indonesia Says 107,000 Hectares of Forest Fires Not Yet Affecting Neighbouring Countries

The government has stated that as of Monday it has not received any reports of neighbouring countries being affected by smoke from forest and land fires (karhutla) originating in Indonesia, amid efforts to tackle fires that have affected approximately 107,000 hectares.

“We are also making every effort not to disturb other parties, including neighbouring countries close to us,” said Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago at a press conference in Jakarta on Monday.

According to Djamari, the government is accelerating the extinguishing of forest and land fires through air operations by deploying around 43 helicopters and 10 to 15 fixed-wing aircraft as needed.

“We have deployed around 43 helicopters as of today, plus fixed-wing aircraft ranging from 10 to 15 depending on requirements,” he said.

Djamari said that to date the government has not received reports from other countries regarding smoke disturbances caused by forest and land fires in Indonesia.

“As of today, there are none (parties affected by the smoke),” he said.

The government has recorded approximately 107,000 hectares of land affected by forest and land fires in several regions of Indonesia.

According to Djamari, these areas are of concern because they contain peatlands that are vulnerable to burning in dry conditions during the dry season.

In addition to the six priority provinces, fires have also occurred in several other areas, including the Mount Bromo area in East Java, Mount Gede Pangrango in West Java, and Mount Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara.

The government will continue to carry out firefighting and prevention measures to control forest and land fires and prevent the spread of smoke to other regions.