Photos: Indonesia rushes in soldiers, aircrafts to battle peatland fires | Hindustan Times
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Photos: Indonesia rushes in soldiers, aircrafts to battle peatland fires

Updated On Sep 18, 2019 01:13 PM IST

The Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency detected 2,153 hotspots across the country on Monday, more than half of which were in the six provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. The provinces have a combined population of more than 23 million. It said 99% of the hotspots were caused by deliberately set fires. Indonesia's president travelled to the area hardest hit by forest fires, as neighbouring countries urged his government to do more to tackle the blazes that have spread a thick, noxious haze around Southeast Asia.

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An Indonesian man stands next to a fire in an agricultural land in Kampar, in Sumatra island's Riau province as the city is blanketed by smoke from fires. President Joko Widodo flew to Riau province, where nearly 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) have burned, to encourage authorities to get the haze under control. (Adek Berry / AFP) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Sep 18, 2019 01:13 PM IST

An Indonesian man stands next to a fire in an agricultural land in Kampar, in Sumatra island's Riau province as the city is blanketed by smoke from fires. President Joko Widodo flew to Riau province, where nearly 50,000 hectares (123,500 acres) have burned, to encourage authorities to get the haze under control. (Adek Berry / AFP)

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Workers dousing the peat fires near the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Nyaru Menten. Widodo told reporters Tuesday in the provincial capital, Pekanbaru, that about 5,600 additional military personnel have been deployed to help the 9,000 people currently fighting the fires, which have razed more than 328,700 hectares (812,000 acres) of land nationwide. (Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation / AFP) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Sep 18, 2019 01:13 PM IST

Workers dousing the peat fires near the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre in Nyaru Menten. Widodo told reporters Tuesday in the provincial capital, Pekanbaru, that about 5,600 additional military personnel have been deployed to help the 9,000 people currently fighting the fires, which have razed more than 328,700 hectares (812,000 acres) of land nationwide. (Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation / AFP)

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Widodo told reporters Tuesday in the provincial capital, Pekanbaru, that about 5,600 additional military personnel have been deployed to help the 9,000 people currently fighting the fires, which have razed more than 328,700 hectares (812,000 acres) of land nationwide. 52 helicopters have dropped more than 263 million liters of water and 164 tons of salt for cloud seeding as part of the firefighting efforts. (Adek Berry / AFP) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Sep 18, 2019 01:13 PM IST

Widodo told reporters Tuesday in the provincial capital, Pekanbaru, that about 5,600 additional military personnel have been deployed to help the 9,000 people currently fighting the fires, which have razed more than 328,700 hectares (812,000 acres) of land nationwide. 52 helicopters have dropped more than 263 million liters of water and 164 tons of salt for cloud seeding as part of the firefighting efforts. (Adek Berry / AFP)

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Hundreds of Indonesian students gather to protest outside the office of the Riau Governor in Pekanbaru, demanding the government to do more to fight the raging forest fires. Forestry and Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said Tuesday the ministry is investigating 370 plantation companies suspected of intentionally setting fires for new planting, including 103 in Riau province. (Wahyudi / AFP) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Sep 18, 2019 01:13 PM IST

Hundreds of Indonesian students gather to protest outside the office of the Riau Governor in Pekanbaru, demanding the government to do more to fight the raging forest fires. Forestry and Environment Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said Tuesday the ministry is investigating 370 plantation companies suspected of intentionally setting fires for new planting, including 103 in Riau province. (Wahyudi / AFP)

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An overview from Mount Faber shows the West anchorage (background) blanketed in the haze in Singapore. Police have arrested 185 people suspected of starting forest fires. They could be prosecuted under an environmental protection law that allows up to 10 years in prison for setting fires to clear land, national police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said. (Roslan Rahman / AFP) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Sep 18, 2019 01:13 PM IST

An overview from Mount Faber shows the West anchorage (background) blanketed in the haze in Singapore. Police have arrested 185 people suspected of starting forest fires. They could be prosecuted under an environmental protection law that allows up to 10 years in prison for setting fires to clear land, national police spokesman Dedi Prasetyo said. (Roslan Rahman / AFP)

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A woman covers her face with a scarf in front of the Malaysia’s Prime Minister’s office. Nearly every year, Indonesian forest fires spread health-damaging haze across the country and into neighboring Malaysia and Singapore. The fires are often started by smallholders and plantation owners who set land on fire as a cheap way of clearing it for new planting. (Lim Huey Teng / REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Sep 18, 2019 01:13 PM IST

A woman covers her face with a scarf in front of the Malaysia’s Prime Minister’s office. Nearly every year, Indonesian forest fires spread health-damaging haze across the country and into neighboring Malaysia and Singapore. The fires are often started by smallholders and plantation owners who set land on fire as a cheap way of clearing it for new planting. (Lim Huey Teng / REUTERS)

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Soldiers and a fire fighter spray water to extinguish forest fire at a peatland field in Kampar. Many areas of Indonesia are prone to rapid burning because of the draining of swampy peatland forests for pulp wood and palm oil plantations. Poor visibility caused by smoke caused flight delays at several airports in Indonesia and Malaysia, and prompted authorities to shut some schools in both countries. (Rafka Majjid / AP) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Sep 18, 2019 01:13 PM IST

Soldiers and a fire fighter spray water to extinguish forest fire at a peatland field in Kampar. Many areas of Indonesia are prone to rapid burning because of the draining of swampy peatland forests for pulp wood and palm oil plantations. Poor visibility caused by smoke caused flight delays at several airports in Indonesia and Malaysia, and prompted authorities to shut some schools in both countries. (Rafka Majjid / AP)

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A man rides on a motorcycle in the haze in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency said 99% of the hotspots were caused by deliberately set fires. Indonesia declared a moratorium on new development of peatlands after particularly disastrous dry season fires in 2015 which burned 2.6 million hectares and spread haze across Indonesia, Singapore, southern Thailand and Malaysia. (Lim Huey teng / REUTERS) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Sep 18, 2019 01:13 PM IST

A man rides on a motorcycle in the haze in Putrajaya, Malaysia. The Indonesian Disaster Mitigation Agency said 99% of the hotspots were caused by deliberately set fires. Indonesia declared a moratorium on new development of peatlands after particularly disastrous dry season fires in 2015 which burned 2.6 million hectares and spread haze across Indonesia, Singapore, southern Thailand and Malaysia. (Lim Huey teng / REUTERS)

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Peat fires near the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre inmNyaru Menten, central Kalimantan. Thick smoke is endangering the health of some 355 orangutans currently in the rehabilitation centre. The World Bank estimated the fires cost Indonesia $16 billion in 2015 and a Harvard and Columbia study estimated the haze hastened 100,000 deaths in the region. (Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation / AFP) expand-icon View Photos in a new improved layout
Updated on Sep 18, 2019 01:13 PM IST

Peat fires near the Orangutan Rehabilitation Centre inmNyaru Menten, central Kalimantan. Thick smoke is endangering the health of some 355 orangutans currently in the rehabilitation centre. The World Bank estimated the fires cost Indonesia $16 billion in 2015 and a Harvard and Columbia study estimated the haze hastened 100,000 deaths in the region. (Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation / AFP)

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