Forest fires in Indonesia raise global warming concerns
Satellite data on September 12 showed the number of blazes in Indonesia's rainforests has rose sharply, spreading smog across Southeast Asia and adding to concerns about the impact of increasing wildfire outbreaks worldwide on global warming.
The number of blazes in Indonesia's rainforests has rose sharply. (Photo: AFP)
Hanoi (VNA) - Satellite data on September 12 showed the number ofblazes in Indonesia's rainforests has rose sharply,spreading smog across Southeast Asia and adding to concerns about the impact ofincreasing wildfire outbreaks worldwide on global warming.
Illegal blazesto clear land for agricultural farming have been raging on Sumatra and Borneoislands, forcingIndonesia to deploy water-bombing helicopters and thousands ofsecurity forces to tackle them.
It is thelatest such outbreak worldwide after huge blazes have torn through the Amazonin South America while bushfires are sweeping across eastern Australia.
Indonesia'sforest fires are an annual problem but have been worsened this year byparticularly dry weather, and in recent days sent toxic smog floating overMalaysia and triggered a diplomatic row.
According to the Singapore-based ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre, the number of"hotspots,” areas of intense heat detected by satellite which indicate ahigh chance of fire, jumped sharply in Indonesia on September 11.
There were1,619 hotspots detected on Borneo and Sumatra islands, up from 861 aday earlier, according to a tally from the centre, which monitors forest firesand smog outbreaks.
Littlerain in the past fortnight, particularly on Indonesian Borneo, has caused the sharpest increase in hotspots.
In 2015, Indonesiasuffered its worst forest fires for almost two decades, which dramaticallyincreased its greenhouse gas emissions./.
The forest fire task force of Indonesia’s Riau province has deployed four helicopters to douse the forest fires raging across the southern part of the province on Sumatra Island.
As many as 39,277 residents in Riau province in Sumatra Island, Indonesia, have suffered from respiratory problems due to the escalating smoke haze caused by forest fires, according to head of the provincial Health Office Mimi Nazir.
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The number of blazes in Indonesia's rainforests has rose sharply. (Photo: AFP) 
