JAKARTA: (Bernama) Indonesia recorded a sharp decline in forest and land fire hotspots on Sunday (Oct 25), with the nationwide tally falling by more than half to 147 as rainfall brought some relief to firefighting operations.
The Forestry Ministry said on Monday that satellite monitoring data recorded at 9 pm local time on Sunday showed that high-confidence hotspots in six priority provinces had plunged from 226 to just 26, signalling an improvement in fire conditions.
"The decline continues the positive trend observed over the past several days. However, we must reiterate that hotspots are indications of surface temperature anomalies detected by NASA Terra/Aqua, SNPP and NOAA-20 satellites,” the ministry said in a social media post on Monday.
Among the six priority provinces, West Kalimantan recorded 15 hotspots, followed by Central Kalimantan with five and South Kalimantan with four.
In Sumatra, two hotspots were recorded in South Sumatra, while Jambi and Riau reported none.
The ministry said rainfall in parts of South Sumatra, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan on Sunday helped dampen fire-affected areas and support firefighting operations.
However, it stressed the need for continued monitoring, particularly in peatland areas where underground embers could persist despite rainfall.
Despite the decline in hotspot numbers and improving weather conditions, firefighting operations remained active in several affected areas, according to the ministry.
These included Tanjung Jabung Timur in Jambi; Muara Enim, Ogan Komering Ilir, Banyuasin and Musi Banyuasin in South Sumatra; Pulang Pisau in Central Kalimantan; and Banjarbaru in South Kalimantan.
The ministry said 49 aircraft remained deployed to support firefighting operations, comprising 32 for water bombing and 17 for aerial patrols and weather modification operations.
Across the border in Malaysia, clearer skies returned to Kuala Lumpur on Sunday after days of reduced visibility caused by transboundary haze linked to Indonesia’s forest and land fires.
Kuala Lumpur recorded moderate air quality at 7pm on Sunday. However, seven areas in Sarawak registered unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) readings above 100 at 9 am on Monday, according to Malaysia’s Department of Environment’s API Management System portal. - Bernama
