High risks of forest fires in many ASEAN countries
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) of Indonesia has warned about high risks of forest and land fires in many Southeast Asian countries as a result of dry conditions in the region.
A forest fire in Ogan Ilir regency of South Sumatra province, Indonesia, on August 5 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA)
Jakarta (VNA) – The Meteorology,Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) of Indonesia has warned about highrisks of forest and land fires in many Southeast Asian countries as a result ofdry conditions in the region.
According to the BMKG, most parts of Indonesiaand some other ASEAN countries have experienced the Australian monsoon,characterised by dry winds from the southeast. The weather is also affected bythe anomaly of sea surface temperatures in Indonesian waters, especially on thesouth side of the equator, and the weak intensity of the El Nino phenomenon inthe region since the end of 2018.
This has triggered a drier season in 2019 than2018, the BMKG noted.
Deputy for meteorology of the BMKG Mulyono R.Prabowo said the dry conditions were followed by the emergence of hotspots thatcan indicate land and forest fires. It will produce haze and harm the airquality.
He added these natural phenomena should be awarning for all ASEAN countries to work faster in implementing the 2016-signedfinancing agreement of “Sustainable Use of Peatland and Haze Mitigation” (SUPA)on climate change in the region.
The SUPA is commissioned by the European Unionand the German Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation andNuclear Safety, and will be implemented by the German Agency for InternationalCooperation (GIZ).
According to the Fire Danger Rating System earlywarning system, the Australian monsoon could make parts of Southeast Asia proneto fires this week. Land fire potential was detected in Indonesia, Brunei,Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia and parts of Myanmar, Vietnam andLaos on August 6-8.-VNA
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A forest fire in Ogan Ilir regency of South Sumatra province, Indonesia, on August 5 (Photo: Xinhua/VNA) 
