According to AFP, Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that Indonesia has accepted a request for forest fire fighting support from Malaysia.
Malaysia will deploy Bombardier CL-415MP aircraft capable of performing firefighting missions from the air. In addition, 3 helicopters and 52 personnel are also coming to Indonesia to participate in controlling fires.
The request for support was made during a meeting between Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi and Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto. The two sides also discussed measures to prevent forest fires and respond to cross-border smog, which affects neighboring countries.
Indonesia has had to respond to forest fires that have lasted for weeks in Borneo and Sumatra. Smoke from the fires covers some areas of Indonesia, and also affects Malaysia and Singapore.
Previously, the Japanese government had sent more than 300 soldiers to Borneo to participate in firefighting operations.
Forest fires often occur in Indonesia in the dry season, lasting from July to October. This year, fires are more serious in hot and dry weather conditions due to the impact of El Nino.
Besides weather factors, experts believe that climate change, prolonged forest degradation and clearing and burning of vegetation to take soil also contribute to the spread of forest fires.
Data from the Indonesian Government shows that more than 202,000 hectares of land were burned across the country from January to July. Meanwhile, an environmental monitoring platform in this country estimates nearly 300,000 hectares affected in the first 7 months of the year and nearly 896,000 hectares as of the end of August.
