Jakarta — Indonesia reported declines in fire hotspots in four of its six priority provinces for forest and land fire control, although a slight increase in high-confidence hotspots was recorded nationwide on Tuesday, the Forestry Ministry said on Wednesday, September 9.
Satellite data from NASA Terra/Aqua, SNPP and NOAA-20 showed 397 high-confidence hotspots nationwide, up from 386 a day earlier.
South Sumatra remained the province with the highest number among the six priority areas, with 76 hotspots, down from 88. Central Kalimantan recorded 63, up from 46, while West Kalimantan fell sharply to 12 from 31. Riau recorded eight hotspots, South Kalimantan six and Jambi three.
The ministry said the decline in West Kalimantan coincided with rain supported by weather modification operations (OMC) on Tuesday, September 8. Rain also fell in parts of Central Kalimantan, although hotspot numbers there continued to rise.
Authorities cautioned that satellite-detected hotspots indicate surface temperature anomalies and do not necessarily represent individual fires. Ground checks remain necessary to verify fire activity.
The government continues to deploy ground teams alongside 53 aircraft across the six priority provinces. Nineteen aircraft are assigned to aerial patrols and OMC support, while 34 are deployed for water bombing.
Despite the decline in hotspots in several areas, smoke remains a concern. On Tuesday, visibility was reported at around 3 km in Palembang, 3 km in Pontianak, 5 km in Palangka Raya and 4 km in Pekanbaru, with smoky conditions reported at the airports.
The ministry said firefighting, cooling and monitoring would continue, particularly in peatlands where fires can persist below the surface and reignite after appearing to have been extinguished.
Air quality based on PM2.5 also remained variable, with some areas of Sumatra and Kalimantan recording unhealthy to very unhealthy conditions and isolated areas reaching hazardous levels. (nsh)
Banner photo: A joint team extinguishes a fire ravaging the Aceh Besar Regency, Aceh Province, on Monday, 7 September. Photo source: Aceh Besar Regency Disaster Management Agency (BPBD).
