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Indonesia’s forest fires decline by 30 percent despite El Niño: Ministry
Environment and forestry minister Siti Nurbaya revealed a 30 percent decline in forest and land fires compared with 2019.
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Murky ride: A motorcyclist braves thick smog from forest fires on Oct. 7, 2023 as he rides along Jl. Pendidikan in Jakabaring, a district in South Sumatra’s provincial capital Palembang.
(Antara/Nova Wahyudi)
T
he area of Indonesia’s forest and land fires in 2023 has seen a significant decline compared with 2019, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya said on Tuesday.
In both years, the weather phenomenon El Niño occurred across Indonesia.
Since the beginning of 2023, the accumulated area burned by forest and land fires has amounted to around 994,313.18 hectares.
This is a 30.8 percent reduction from the 1.436 million ha burned in 2019.
Despite that, the figure still represents a notable increase relative to the previous year.
In 2022, the overall area affected by forest and land fires was recorded at 198,571.51 ha.
South Kalimantan was the most devastated area, with flames consuming 187,574.6 ha. Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra also suffered extensive fires, losing 114,576.22 ha and 109,460.67 ha, respectively.
