Indonesia steps up firefighting as haze spreads to Malaysia and Brunei

Indonesia has intensified ground, aerial and weather-modification operations to battle widening forest and peatland fires. The worsening haze has crossed into Malaysia and Brunei, raising health and regional concerns.Image used for representational purposes onlyIndonesia on Monday stepped up ground and aerial firefighting operations as major forest and peatland fires in its central and western regions spread thick haze across cities and into neighbouring Malaysia and Brunei. The fires have been driven by an intensifying El Nino pattern and a prolonged dry season, according to the National Disaster Management Agency, or BNPB.Fires remained active in several regions, with large-scale suppression efforts continuing in fire-prone provinces including West, Central and South Kalimantan on Borneo island, and Riau, South Sumatra and Jambi on Sumatra island. The blazes are part of a wider rise in wildfire activity across Indonesia this year.The BNPB said drought, strong winds and dry vegetation had made it harder to contain the fires. Some hot spots remained inaccessible to more than 24,000 ground firefighters deployed across Sumatra and Borneo, leading local officials to seek additional water-bombing support.After visiting areas hit by forest and peatland fires in Central Kalimantan on Saturday, President Prabowo Subianto travelled to Riau and neighbouring South Sumatra on Monday, where more than 36,000 hectares had burned across 10 provinces. He said the government would continue supporting firefighting operations, including by deploying more water-bombing helicopters and providing oxygen supplies for firefighters. Prabowo also urged authorities to "thoroughly document and report the work being carried out by firefighting teams" directly to him. He called for stronger public education and outreach, and said the central government would deploy about 1,000 military and police personnel to work with regional authorities on awareness and prevention of forest and land fires.Latest satellite data from the Environment Ministry showed South Sumatra had the highest number of hot spots in the country at 1,429, followed by West Kalimantan with 1,226 and Central Kalimantan with 811. East Kalimantan recorded 576 hot spots, ahead of Riau with 503, while West Papua and Jambi logged 468 and 458 hot spots respectively. Forestry Ministry data showed nearly 94,000 hectares were burned in July alone. The Transportation Ministry said it had authorised the use of 35 foreign-registered aircraft for wildfire response, including water-bombing missions and aerial patrols. It said the aircraft could be quickly redeployed to disaster-hit areas as conditions changed, while meeting Indonesian aviation safety rules. Indonesia is also intensifying weather-modification operations to induce rainfall by dispersing salt particles into suitable clouds, with 30 aircraft carrying out water-bombing and cloud-seeding over Kalimantan and another 22 helicopters operating over Sumatra.Malaysia said on Monday that Indonesia had allowed its aircraft to enter Indonesian airspace to conduct cloud-seeding operations along the shared border as both countries stepped up efforts to tackle the worsening haze. Malaysia was preparing an operational plan and could also offer help to Indonesia if asked, Environment Minister Arthur Joseph Kurup said, adding that the steps were important as the country prepared for National Day on August 31. He said commemorations for Malaysia Day on September 16 would be held in Sarawak on Borneo island, one of the areas worst affected by the haze.Nearly 600 schools in Sarawak were closed last week as air quality worsened, affecting about 200,000 students, while officials expect hot and dry weather to continue into October. On Monday, Malaysia's Environment Department reported unhealthy air quality in 20 areas across parts of peninsula Malaysia and Sarawak.Forest fires are a regular problem during Indonesia's dry season and often strain ties with neighbouring countries. Plantation owners and traditional farmers often use fire to clear land, triggering haze that cuts visibility, disrupts land and air transport, and threatens public health. This year, authorities are expanding firefighting and weather-modification efforts as fires continue to burn across parts of Sumatra and Borneo.With PTI Inputs- EndsPublished By: India Today Web Desk Published On: Aug 24, 2026 22:44 IST