Indonesia's wildfires may last until early November, minister says

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JAKARTA: Indonesia's wildfires could go on until early November, with the rainy season expected to arrive late, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni told local media on Wednesday (Sep 16), as he urged people to stop using fire to clear land during an extended drought.

Indonesia is battling its most intense wildfires in 11 years, with super El Nino weather conditions parching the country's forests and fields.

Fires have been raging for weeks, especially on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Raja Juli warned at the beginning of September that El Nino-linked dry weather would peak this month, complicating efforts to contain the seasonal fire outbreaks.

State media outlet Antara cited Raja Juli as saying on Wednesday that the dry weather is expected to continue for at least another one and a half months. 

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He said the country's weather agency had revised its forecast for the start of the rainy season to late October or early November, a month later than previously estimated.

"These forest and wildfires will remain with us until October or early November," he was quoted as saying in another report by news website Kompas.com. 

"We therefore urge individuals, farmers, and corporations alike to refrain from using fire during this very strong El Nino period," he added. 

Cases of wildfire-related respiratory illness in seven affected provinces more than doubled to 113,336 from Sep 1 to Sep 9, with residents of West Kalimantan among the people suffering the worst from hazardous fire emissions.

Transboundary haze has also caused unhealthy air conditions in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.

Malaysia's Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the transboundary haze issue would be officially raised during his working visit to Jakarta from tomorrow until Sep 20, state media Bernama reported.

Malaysia prioritises long-term diplomatic cooperation and early preventive measures to address the transboundary haze issue, he said.

"Diplomatic measures must be pursued alongside technical efforts involving officials from neighbouring countries and Malaysian states," he added.

Indonesia has stepped up its firefighting efforts, deploying more than 50 aircraft to conduct water bombing and cloud seeding operations. Japan has also sent three CH-47 Chinooks to help battle the fires.

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