A foreboding start to dry season in Indonesia and Singapore
26 June 2014Residents of Indonesia and Singapore have been bracing themselves in recent weeks as the World Resources Institute (WRI) and others have warned that this year’s dry season would likely herald a severe spike in fires on the island of Sumatra and accompanying toxic haze across the region.
As dry weather sets in, with a high chance of a fire-fanning El Nino, NASA's Active Fires satellite system has detected an alarming numbers of hotspots in recent days, especially in Riau Province, the location of the majority of fires in severe fire and haze episodes last June and early this year.
As described in WRI's previous analyses, fires are a long-standing problem in many parts of Indonesia.
The good news is that policymakers in Indonesia have started to heed earlier warnings about the fire risk. Indonesia's Vice President Boediono has convened senior ministers from several agencies and a special 'situation room' is reportedly being established to help ensure a more coordinated response.
