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.
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 Niño period,” he added.
