Fewer hot spots in Indonesia as authorities clamp down on Sumatra forest fires

A file photo of fires burning in Sumatra's Riau province in Indonesia on March 15, 2016. - Reuters

JAKARTA: Efforts by the authorities on Sumatra island to prevent and suppress land and forest fires early, have kept the number of hot spots in Indonesia low so far.

Latest satellite data showed that despite temperatures rising and the dry season setting in – both precursors to the annual haze problem – only nine hot spots were detected in Sumatra on Friday.