Indonesia's Burned Area Doubles in a Month to 1.92 Million Hectares, September Data Shows
New satellite data on Indonesia's wildfires was released on October 20. According to Nusantara Atlas, a deforestation and fire monitor, Indonesia's cumulative burned area stood at 895,650 hectares at the end of August but jumped to 1.92 million hectares (4.74 million acres) by the end of September, more than doubling in a single month and surpassing the 1.39 million hectares recorded at the same point in 2019, a year in which fires ultimately scorched 2.63 million hectares.
As of October 20, the Nusantara Atlas fire map had recorded about 1.15 million fire hotspots across Indonesia. The fires, which have raged for months, have caused air pollution and respiratory problems, and thick haze has spread into neighbouring Singapore, Malaysia and East Timor. Indonesia's Health Ministry earlier reported 277,075 cases of respiratory illness linked to the fires in seven provinces alone as of October 12.
Indonesia has been carrying out weather modification operations in Sumatra and Kalimantan, with cloud-seeding missions bringing rainfall and improved air quality in several fire hotspots. West Kalimantan has mounted the largest such operation, with 107 flights in the past four weeks, authorities said.
Presidential spokesperson Prasetyo Hadi explained the method in a statement: "We are using dry ice to disperse the smoke and allow sunlight to help trigger rain-cloud formation before conducting cloud-seeding operations with salt." Authorities said firefighting and weather modification efforts were continuing.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Yumiyumi9, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons (haze in Palangka Raya during the 2026 fire season, August 2026)
