Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has ordered the revocation of business permits belonging to companies suspected of being involved in deliberate forest and land burning as haze from fires spreads to neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.
Prabowo said on Monday that any corporation found to have ordered the burning would have all its permits revoked, stressing that the government would take firm action against those responsible.
He also instructed authorities to prevent individuals from deliberately setting fires and called for stronger public education on the prohibition of land burning.
Prabowo said communities needing to clear land should seek assistance from local authorities, the military and police instead of resorting to burning.
He also ordered authorities to respond immediately when fires emerge, including drilling boreholes in fire-prone areas to provide water for firefighting.
The Indonesian government is also monitoring hotspots through satellites, deploying helicopters for water bombing and carrying out weather modification operations to encourage rainfall in affected areas.
Fires across Sumatra and Kalimantan have burned about 85,000 hectares, according to local media.
South Sumatra recorded the highest number of hotspots at 1,429, followed by West Kalimantan with 1,226 and Central Kalimantan with 811. East Kalimantan recorded 576 hotspots while Riau had 503.
The haze has also affected neighbouring countries. Singapore’s National Environment Agency warned of occasional periods of haze following increased hotspot activity.
In Malaysia, 30 monitoring stations recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index readings, with Sarawak remaining the worst affected.
Serian recorded the country’s highest reading at 180, while Shah Alam registered 162, the highest in Peninsular Malaysia. Putrajaya recorded 156, followed by Batu Muda in Kuala Lumpur and Kuala Selangor at 155.
