Indonesia declares emergency due to forest fires

Police spray water to extinguish a peat fire in Kampar, Riau province, Sumatra, Indonesia August 29, 2016 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. - Reuters

JAKARTA: Indonesian Minister of Forestry and Environment Siti Nurbaya has announced the country has been placed under emergency state due to forecasts on blazes and impacts of smoke from forest and land fires.

Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reports that the announcement came during the ministers visit to Tanah Laut in South Kalimantan on Sunday.