Firefighters try to extinguish a fire that spreads through a peatland field in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra, Indonesia, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Indonesian firefighters try to extinguish more peatland fires on Indonesia's Sumatra Island on Tuesday. (Source: AP)
Firefighters on the western Indonesian island of Sumatra are battling large fires in a peatland region that have caused smog to blanket the city of Palembang, a city of nearly 2 million people, for weeks, officials said on September 15.
The fire burned 75 hectares of peatland in Ogan Ilir district of South Sumatra province and around the road connecting to Palembang city, according to Sumatra island authorities.
It is estimated that the fire area could be even larger when confirmed by satellite images.
Officials believe that the cause of the fire in the peatland area may be due to people using this method to quickly have land for cultivation without spending much money.
The latest fires raging over the past two weeks have caused smog to blanket the city of Palembang, limiting visibility for residents.
Winds have also blown ash from the fires into the city, dusting streets and trees. City officials and hospitals there have reported a surge in respiratory infections, many of them children.
The prolonged dry season has brought a higher risk of fires across Indonesia's major islands, raising concerns about a recurrence of haze-causing forest fires that could affect neighboring Malaysia and Singapore as in recent years.
According to experts, arid peatlands release greenhouse gases such as CO2 into the atmosphere and are susceptible to fire.
2015 saw severe forest fires as toxic smog blanketed Southeast Asia for weeks, causing many people to fall ill, schools to close and flights to be cancelled./.
Source
Comment (0)