Indonesia Braces for Wildfires Until Early November as Rainy Season Delayed

Indonesia's forest and land fires are likely to keep burning until late October or early November, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has said, after the country's weather agency pushed back its forecast for the arrival of the rainy season by about a month.

The minister told local media that dry conditions are expected to persist for at least another six weeks, extending a fire season already described as the country's most intense in 11 years. He attributed the prolonged drought to a strong El Niño pattern that has parched forests and fields.

"These forest and wildfires will remain with us until October or early November," Raja Juli was quoted as saying, adding that individuals, farmers and corporations should avoid using fire to clear land during the period.

Fires have burned for weeks, with the worst outbreaks concentrated on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. At the start of September, the minister warned that El Niño-linked dry weather would peak this month, complicating efforts to contain the seasonal blazes.

The health toll is mounting. Cases of wildfire-related respiratory illness across seven affected provinces more than doubled to 113,336 between September 1 and September 9, with residents of West Kalimantan among those hit hardest by hazardous emissions.

Haze from the fires has also drifted across borders, pushing air quality to unhealthy levels in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.

Indonesia has expanded its firefighting response, deploying more than 50 aircraft for water-bombing and cloud-seeding operations. Japan has contributed three CH-47 Chinook helicopters to assist the effort.