Forest Fire In Indonesia

In Indonesia,the fires are often set by plantation companies and smallholders to clear land, and were particularly bad in 2015 because of a prolonged dry season caused by the El Nino weather pattern.

As land fires blazing on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia’s western province of Riau, a state of emergency over forest,  has been declared a government official said on Tuesday.

“The governor has declared an emergency now, to be able to prevent a repeat of the haze that occurred in 2015,” said provincial government spokesman Darusman, adding that life in the province continued to be normal.

About 500 military and police personnel and a water-bombing helicopter have been deployed to help fight the fires but the haze had not yet reached urban areas, he said.