Indonesia has accepted firefighting assistance from Malaysia and Singapore after wildfires burned more than 1.9 million hectares this year and triggered ASEAN's highest regional haze alert.
On October 19, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurachman said Malaysia would help with three aircraft and 52 personnel. He also confirmed that Singapore would provide assistance, though details were not announced. The burned-area figure comes from Nusantara Atlas, which detected 1,916,588 hectares from January through September using satellite data.
Its founder said the estimate likely understates the true total because haze blocked some satellite images and the method leaves out smaller burn scars. Indonesia's last official count was 202,000 hectares through July. A Forestry Ministry spokesman said the government was still calculating its total and could not readily confirm the monitor's estimate.
On October 16, the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre activated Alert Level 3 for southern ASEAN, the highest level in its four-tier system, citing a high risk of severe smoke spreading across borders. The smoke has disrupted daily life across the region, leading to school closures and breathing problems. Haze has also spread as far as the Philippines.
Drought that worsened starting in June, during a strong El Niño pattern, helped drive the fires. President Prabowo Subianto has ordered a major deployment of resources to fight the blazes. Officials continue to respond to the health and air-quality impacts.