Key facts
- Indonesia has seen a surge in forest fire hot spots in early August, more than tripling last year's figures for the same period.
- Haze from these fires has spread to Malaysia, with air quality in Sarawak state reaching unhealthy levels.
- Cloud seeding, an effective method for inducing rain to combat fires, is currently impossible due to a lack of suitable clouds.
- The current dry conditions are attributed to a 'Super El Nino' event, amplified by a positive Indian Ocean Dipole.
- Over 107,000 hectares have been burned in Indonesia's most affected provinces.
Indonesia is experiencing a severe wildfire crisis, exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon, leading to widespread haze affecting neighboring Malaysia and Singapore. In the first 13 days of August, Indonesia recorded more than three times the number of forest fire hot spots compared to the entire month of August last year.
The smoke has pushed air quality in nine areas of Malaysia's Sarawak state above the national threshold for unhealthy air, with Serian district recording an Air Pollutant Index of 180. Singapore's National Environment Agency reported a PSI of 81, placing the city-state at the upper edge of the moderate range, prompting its Haze Task Force to remain on alert.
Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago confirmed that fires have burned over 107,000 hectares in the most affected provinces. A significant challenge in combating the fires is the current inability to conduct cloud seeding operations, Indonesia's most effective aerial suppression tool. This is because scientific monitoring has found no suitable rain-bearing clouds over the affected areas, a situation expected to persist through at least August 18.
Cloud seeding relies on dispersing particles into existing moisture-bearing clouds to induce rainfall. However, the combined effects of El Nino and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole have severely suppressed atmospheric moisture across maritime Southeast Asia. This year's El Nino has been characterized as a 'Super El Nino' by Indonesia's National Research and Innovation Agency, with Pacific temperature anomalies significantly above normal. The dry season, typically lasting through September-October, is projected to extend from April through October, a six-month period, even before the fire season officially began.