Indonesia Intensifies Firefighting as Forest and Peatland Blazes Spread Haze

Indonesian authorities have stepped up ground and aerial firefighting operations as forest and peatland fires continue to burn across Sumatra and Kalimantan, producing a choking haze that has blanketed cities and crossed borders.

Police arrested 72 people on Sunday suspected of starting fires linked to 89 cases in nine provinces. Plantation operators and traditional farmers often use fire to clear land. President Prabowo Subianto visited Central Kalimantan and Riau over the weekend, promising additional resources including helicopters and water pumps and vowing to hold companies accountable.

National Disaster Mitigation Agency data show fires remain active in West, Central and South Kalimantan as well as Riau, South Sumatra and Jambi. Environment Ministry satellite monitoring recorded thousands of hotspots, with South Sumatra, West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan among the highest. Nearly 94,000 hectares burned in July alone, and cumulative burned area this year exceeds 64,000 hectares according to police figures, of which about 62 percent has been brought under control.

Drought conditions, strong winds and dry vegetation have complicated suppression efforts. More than 10,000 ground firefighters have been deployed, but some hotspots remain inaccessible. Haze has disrupted flights, closed schools and raised public-health concerns in affected regions.

Indonesia has faced recurrent haze episodes linked to land-clearing fires, particularly during drier El Niño periods. The current surge is the highest in more than a decade for August hotspots.