Indonesia detected 1,437 high-confidence hotspots as of Monday night, with Central and West Kalimantan accounting for the largest share as transboundary haze continued to affect parts of Southeast Asia.
Central Kalimantan recorded 689 hotspots, the highest among Indonesian provinces, followed by West Kalimantan with 203, South Sumatra with 116 and South Kalimantan with 112, according to Forestry Ministry official Lusiana Martapuri.
Jambi recorded nine hotspots while no high-confidence hotspots were detected in Riau during the latest monitoring period.
Lusiana said firefighting operations were currently concentrated in Kalimantan, particularly Central and West Kalimantan, where the bulk of the hotspots were recorded.
“In general, air quality conditions in Indonesia remain varied, with most areas in the good to moderate categories, although several areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan are still recording unhealthy to very unhealthy conditions, and hazardous levels in certain areas,” she said in a video posted on the ministry’s social media on Tuesday.
The regional impact has also been picked up by the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre, which reported moderate transboundary haze over Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.
In Malaysia, 38 areas recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index readings as of 9am Tuesday, while all five regions in Singapore were also reporting unhealthy air quality.
Indonesia has deployed 53 aircraft as part of its firefighting response, including 34 aircraft for water bombing and 19 for aerial patrols. Weather modification operations are also being carried out.
The aerial operation has been further supported by three CH-47 Chinook helicopters from Japan for water-bombing missions, while ground teams continue efforts to contain fires, prevent further spread and carry out mopping-up and cooling operations.
