Indonesia’s battle against forest fires hampered by smokes, swamps
Indonesia is struggling to contain massive forest fires in Tanjung Puting National Park as thick smoke grounds firefighting aircraft. President Prabowo Subianto has ordered increased resources to combat the blazes, which threaten critical orangutan habitats.
Why it matters
The fires pose a significant threat to biodiversity and public health in Southeast Asia due to the resulting transboundary haze.
Smoke rises from a wildfire in a peat forest in Mempawah in West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, on Sept 18.
Listen Summarise Thick smoke has grounded firefighting aircraft in Central Kalimantan for about a week, slowing efforts against fires in and around Tanjung Puting National Park. More than 60,177 personnel are fighting the blazes on the ground, while 639.23ha still burn across six priority provinces and nearly 130,000ha has burned in total. President Prabowo Subianto ordered more pumps, drilling teams and military support, and called for stronger village-level prevention and 70,000 of forest police officers. AI generated
JAKARTA – Thick smoke from Indonesia’s forest fires has grounded firefighting aircraft in Central Kalimantan for about a week, leaving crews struggling to contain blazes threatening one of the world’s best-known orang utan habitats.
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