Indonesia: Four provinces under disaster alert for forest fires

Event

A spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB) announced on Wednesday, February 21, that four provinces are under a disaster alert due to the threat of forest and land fires. Riau, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan were placed under the alert after an increasing number of hotspots, where dry conditions and high temperatures render the area particularly prone to fire outbreaks, were detected in recent days. As of 07:00 (local time) on Wednesday, there were 90 hotspots throughout Indonesia, with the highest number being recorded in West Kalimantan province.

Context

The disaster alert status provides the provinces with easier access to funding, support, aid, and personnel from the central government if a forest fire breaks out. Forest fires are common in Indonesia during the two dry seasons, which runs from March through September every year. The dry season becomes particularly intense from June to September.

For more than 20 years, fires have been an annual occurrence in the region as farmers and agricultural companies clear Indonesia's forests and carbon-rich peatlands to make way for pulpwood, palm oil, and rubber plantations or for smaller-scale subsistence farming. The fires have gradually been getting worse and were particularly bad in 2015 due to a prolonged dry season caused by the El Niño weather pattern.

Advice

Individuals present in these areas are advised to follow all instructions issued by local authorities and to monitor any developments to the situation.