Current:Home > InvestIndonesia denies its fires are causing blankets of haze in neighboring Malaysia -FutureWise Finance
Indonesia denies its fires are causing blankets of haze in neighboring Malaysia
View
Date:2025-04-14 12:15:07
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia denied Friday that forest and peat fires on Sumatra and Borneo islands were causing the haze in Malaysia, after the neighboring government sent a letter complaining about the air quality and asking to work together to deal with the fires.
Forest and peat fires are an annual problem in Indonesia that strains relations with neighboring countries. In recent years, smoke from the fires has blanketed parts of Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand.
Some parts of Malaysia said they experienced smoke from the Indonesian fires since last week, but the Indonesian government denied its fires are the cause.
“Until now there is no transboundary haze. No cross-border smoke. I don’t know what basis Malaysia uses to make these statements,” Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Indonesian Environment and Forestry minister, told The Associated Press.
Malaysia’s capital, Kuala Lumpur, and Kuching, one of its cities on Borneo island, were recently ranked as among the world’s top five most polluted cities by IQAir, a Swiss air quality technology company.
There are more than 1,900 recorded hotspots on Sumatra, mostly in South Sumatra province, according to the data from Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency. On Monday, the local government in South Sumatra asked residents to work from home and schools to go online amid a blanket of haze. Hundreds of forest fires in South Kalimantan province in Borneo island made the smoke haze even more widespread, especially during the last week. The local government has also called the students to do online learning as the air quality is unhealthy.
Indonesian authorities have so far ignored Malaysia’s request.
Bakar provided government data showing that, while it fluctuates, air quality in the regions where the peat and forest fires were found in the past week were getting better.
“We are still working to handle the forest and land fires in Borneo and Sumatra islands as well as possible. And the picture of the situation on the ground is getting better,” she said, adding that rain was aiding the process in multiple areas, including through government rain-seeding efforts.
veryGood! (13881)
Related
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- The Trump camp and the White House clash over Biden’s recognition of ‘Transgender Day of Visibility’
- Krispy Kreme has free doughnuts and discount deals for Easter, April Fools' Day
- Police searching for Chiefs' Rashee Rice after alleged hit-and-run accident, per report
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- AT&T notifies users of data breach and resets millions of passcodes
- UCLA coach regrets social media share; Iowa guard Sydney Affolter exhibits perfect timing
- No injuries or hazardous materials spilled after train derailment in Oklahoma
- Charges tied to China weigh on GM in Q4, but profit and revenue top expectations
- For years, we were told chocolate causes pimples. Have we been wrong all along?
Ranking
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Afternoon shooting in Nashville restaurant kills 1 man and injures 5 others
- Caitlin Clark delivers again under pressure, ensuring LSU rematch in Elite Eight
- Untangling Everything Jax Taylor and Brittany Cartwright Have Said About Their Breakup
- Man can't find second winning lottery ticket, sues over $394 million jackpot, lawsuit says
- These extreme Easter egg hunts include drones, helicopters and falling eggs
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Stamp Collection
- Mega Millions winning numbers for March 29 drawing; $20 million jackpot
Recommendation
Global Warming Set the Stage for Los Angeles Fires
Mega Millions winning numbers for March 29 drawing; $20 million jackpot
Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Easter 2024? Here's what to know
Age vs. Excellence. Can Illinois find way to knock off UConn in major March Madness upset?
Tom Holland's New Venture Revealed
Age vs. Excellence. Can Illinois find way to knock off UConn in major March Madness upset?
Women's March Madness highlights: Caitlin Clark, Iowa move to Elite Eight after Sweet 16 win
LSU's X-factors vs. Iowa in women's Elite Eight: Rebounding, keeping Reese on the floor