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Indonesia's wildfires may last until early November, minister says

Indonesia's wildfires may last until early November, minister says

ReutersWed, September 16, 2026 at 8:56 AM UTC2 min readAdd Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.
A tugboat sails along the Kapuas River amid thick haze from wildfires in Pontianak, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, September 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana
Volunteers stand in a peatland area burnt by wildfires, in Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, September 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana
Staff members of the Regional Disaster Agency (BPBD) spray water to extinguish a fire in a peatland area burnt by wildfires, in Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, September 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana

A tugboat sails along the Kapuas River amid thick haze from wildfires in Pontianak

1 of 3A tugboat sails along the Kapuas River amid thick haze from wildfires in Pontianak, West Kalimantan province, Indonesia, September 15, 2026. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana

JAKARTA, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Indonesia's wildfires could go on until early November with the rainy season expected to arrive late, Forestry ‌Minister Raja Juli Antoni told local media on Wednesday, as he ‌urged people to stop using fire to clear land during an extended drought.

Indonesia is battling ​its most intense wildfires in 11 years, with "super El Niño" weather conditions parching the country's forests and fields.

Fires have been raging for weeks, especially on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. Raja Juli warned at the beginning ‌of September that El Niño-linked dry ⁠weather would peak this month, complicating efforts to contain the seasonal fire outbreaks.

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State media outlet Antara cited Raja Juli ⁠as saying on Wednesday that the dry weather is expected to continue for at least another one and a half months.

He said the country's weather ​agency had ​revised its forecast for the start ​of the rainy season to ‌late October or early November, a month later than previously estimated.

"These forest and wildfires will remain with us until October or early November," he was quoted as saying in another report by news website Kompas.com.

"We therefore urge individuals, farmers, and corporations alike to refrain from using fire during ‌this very strong El Niño period," he ​added.

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Cases of wildfire-related respiratory illness in seven affected ​provinces more than doubled to ​113,336 from September 1 to September 9, with residents ‌of West Kalimantan among the people suffering ​the worst from ​hazardous fire emissions.

Transboundary haze has also caused unhealthy air conditions in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.

Indonesia has stepped up its firefighting efforts, deploying ​more than 50 aircraft ‌to conduct water bombing and cloud seeding operations. Japan has also ​sent three CH-47 Chinooks to help battle the fires.

(Reporting by ​Fransiska Nangoy; Editing by David Stanway)