The warning came as almost all southern parts of Indonesia are in the height of the dry season. The weather has been sunny the past three days in Sumatra, Java and Bali islands, as well as East Nusa Tenggara, West Nusa Tenggara and southern Kalimantan.

“Avoid slash and burn farming especially on peatlands, as peat burns easily and is difficult to extinguish,” the weather agency said in a statement on Tuesday.

The agency also predicts that strong winds will occur in some parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, which are known for their extensive peatland coverage.

Provinces in Sumatra, such as Jambi, South Sumatra and Riau, as well as regions in southern Kalimantan reported incidents of massive forest and peatland fires in the past few years, such as in 2015 and 2019 due to the El Niño phenomenon, which brought hot air and prolonged the dry season in the country.

In Jambi, fires have razed 5 hectares of plantation since Tuesday.

In nearby Riau Islands province, fires burned 8 ha of plantation areas in Bintan regency on Monday. Haze from the fires shrouded nearby residential areas.

Forest fires were also reported in several regencies in South Sumatra last week.

The BMKG, however, also forecast anomalous medium to heavy rain and thunderstorms in almost all provinces in Sumatra and several parts of Java in the coming days until Monday, despite the regions being in the peak of the dry season.

The unusual rain is triggered by equatorial Kelvin and Rossby waves and warmer sea surface temperatures in waters around Indonesia that cause rain clouds to build up. (jan)