Rising risk of forest fires due to longer dry season

Back-breaking work: Farmers planting seedlings at a padi field, as the government urges farmers to immediately replant their plots, responding to the erratic forces of weather for a possible prolonged dry spell linked to El Nino, in Cirebon regency, West Java province. — Reuters

The country’s longer and more intense dry season this year has led to a rising number of hotspots, indicating greater risks of forest and land fires, the meteorological agency warned.

About 1,700 hotspots were detected from January to June 8, a sharp increase from previous years, meteorology agency chief Teuku Faisal Fathani said yesterday.

Accumulated data showed the number of hotspots rising faster in 2026 than both 2015 and 2019, when the country experienced large-scale forest and land fires.

“Six provinces are on alert for forest and land fires: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan,” Teuku Faisal said.

The dry season is expected to peak in August, unchanged from a previous forecast in March, agency official Ardhasena Sopaheluwakan said.

Most provinces on the islands of Java, Sumatra, Bali, Borneo and Nusa Tenggara are expected to have a more severe dry season this year, the agency said.

Indonesia is racing to plant rice early to cope with the threat of a lengthy dry spell. — Reuters