The Jakarta Post
Authorities have reported a sharp increase in hot spots in Kalimantan and Sumatra in the past few days, raising concerns about a possible repeat of the 2015 haze crisis that badly affected the islands, as well Singapore and Malaysia. “If we fail to address the forest fires soon, we are likely to see the 2015 haze crisis happening again,” National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesperson Agus Wibowo said. He said this year’s dry season would be exceptionally long and it would exacerbate the impact of forest fires. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has predicted that the rainy season will not start until October. The number of hot spots in several areas across Sumatra and Kalimantan has continued to increase. The BMKG reported that hot spots were emerging, not only in Indonesia but also several other countries in Southeast Asia in...