JAKARTA: (Bernama) Indonesia recorded 1,437 high-confidence hotspots as of Monday night, with Kalimantan accounting for the bulk of detections as transboundary haze persisted across parts of the region.
Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry official Lusiana Martapuri said Central Kalimantan recorded the highest concentration with 689 hotspots, followed by West Kalimantan with 203, South Sumatra 116, South Kalimantan 112 and Jambi in Sumatra nine.
No high-confidence hotspots were detected in Riau during the latest monitoring, she said, adding that firefighting efforts are currently focused mainly on Kalimantan, particularly Central and West Kalimantan.
"In general, air quality conditions in Indonesia remain varied, with most areas in the good to moderate categories, although several areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan are still recording unhealthy to very unhealthy conditions, and hazardous levels in certain areas,” she said in a video posted on the ministry's social media on Tuesday (Sept 15).
Meanwhile, the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre reported moderate transboundary haze over Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.
In neighbouring Malaysia, 38 areas recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index readings as of 9 am Tuesday, while Singapore also recorded unhealthy air quality across all five regions.
On firefighting efforts, Lusiana said 53 aircraft remain deployed, comprising 34 for water bombing and 19 for aerial patrols, alongside weather modification operations.
The aerial response is also being reinforced by three CH-47 Chinook helicopters from Japan for water-bombing operations, while ground teams continue firefighting and efforts to prevent the spread of fires, as well as mopping-up and cooling operations. - Bernama
