Wildfires and thick smoke are disrupting daily life across Indonesia as the country enters a prolonged and intense dry season linked to the El Niño climate phenomenon. Dozens of schools were closed for a second consecutive day on Tuesday because of wildfire smoke, with authorities particularly concerned about risks to students’ health in Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.
According to AFP, Pontianak Mayor Edi Rusdi Kamtono ordered schools to close after a dense layer of smoke blanketed the city. Government data show that several thousand students attend public schools in the city. In a statement issued Monday, the mayor said students would continue their studies from home until air quality returned to normal. He did not specify the total number of schools affected by the decision.
The mayor said residents had already begun feeling the effects of the wildfire smoke, particularly at night and in the morning. He added that a layer of smoke had already covered Pontianak.
Meanwhile, firefighters on the island of Java were working for a ninth consecutive day to contain a blaze in a national park. The wildfire, which began last Monday, has already burned around 900 hectares of forest. The blaze in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, which has been closed to visitors since Saturday, is currently one of the largest active fires in Indonesia.
By Tuesday morning, around 900 hectares, or more than 2,200 acres, had been burned in Bromo in East Java. The affected area is equivalent to more than 1,200 football fields and accounts for roughly 2 percent of the entire park.
Satrio Nurseno, a local disaster management official, told AFP that every effort was being made to contain the fire and that all available measures were being taken to prevent its spread, including water bombing. He expressed hope that the fire could be brought under control across all affected areas during the day. Water would then be sprayed over the area to ensure the flames did not reignite.
Around 200 firefighters, forest rangers, police officers and military personnel are involved in the operation. They are being supported by three water-bombing helicopters and fire trucks.
According to Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), more than 48,000 personnel have been deployed across six provinces to tackle wildfires. Security Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said 43 helicopters and up to 15 fixed-wing aircraft had been placed on standby to create artificial rain if necessary. The process involves dispersing particles such as silver iodide and salt from aircraft in an attempt to trigger rainfall. However, sufficient cloud cover is required for the operation.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) has warned that El Niño could bring an unusually severe dry season to the country this year, increasing the risks of drought and wildfires. More than 107,000 hectares of land have already been burned by wildfires across Indonesia this year. Authorities, however, said the country has adequate food reserves.
According to BMKG data, Indonesia’s average temperature in July was 27 degrees Celsius, compared with the normal average of 26.2 degrees Celsius. It marked the highest July temperature increase recorded since 1991.
El Niño is a natural climate phenomenon that alters global wind patterns, atmospheric pressure and rainfall. In India and Southeast Asia, it typically brings drier conditions.
The latest El Niño contributed to 2023 and 2024 becoming the two hottest years on record globally. The area of land burned by wildfires in Indonesia this year has already doubled the amount recorded in 2023.
Source: AFP.