Latest news with #dryseason
CNA
2 days ago
- Climate
- CNA
Singapore not affected by transboundary haze despite surge in Sumatra hotspots: NEA
SINGAPORE: Singapore has not been impacted by transboundary haze despite a spike in the number of forest and land fires in Indonesia's Sumatra, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Tuesday (Jul 22). In response to queries from CNA, NEA said that this was due to favourable wind conditions. "Based on satellite observations, smoke plumes were detected in the southern and central parts of Sumatra in recent days," the agency said. "As the prevailing winds are mostly blowing from the southeast over Singapore and the vicinity, Singapore has not been affected by transboundary haze." Dry conditions in the region are, however, expected to persist until the end of the week before wetter conditions return and possibly improve the regional hotspot and haze situation, NEA added. The agency said that the ongoing dry season in the southern Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region is expected to last until October. "During this period, dry conditions may occur over the region," said NEA. "The hotspot and smoke haze situation may escalate at times, and depending on prevailing wind conditions, increase the risk of transboundary haze affecting Singapore." If transboundary haze affects Singapore, NEA said that the government's inter-agency Haze Task Force – comprising 28 government ministries and agencies – will activate the necessary action plans to mitigate and manage the impact of the haze, should the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index enter the unhealthy range. "Tiered measures will be implemented depending on the intensity of the haze, along with advisories to the public," the agency added. Sumatra reported a total of 1,292 hotspots on Monday, a jump from 94 on Jul 12. Hotspots, which appear on satellite images, represent areas where there are high levels of heat – possibly as a result of forest or land fires. Within the region, Riau province has been the worst hit by fires in forests and peatlands, with a total of 582 hotspots reported on Monday. This is up from 38 hotspots reported on Jul 12. In an advisory on Jul 19 regarding transboundary haze, the Malaysian Meteorological Department, MetMalaysia, said that hotspots in Sumatra captured by satellite imagery last Friday and reported by the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre could have contributed to haze carried by southwesterly winds. It stated that the haze was affecting several states on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, with the agency not expecting any changes in weather or wind direction that could reduce its impact over the coming days.
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- Climate
- Malay Mail
Indonesia's Solok, Limapuluh Kota declare emergency over forest fires
JAKARTA, July 22 — Solok and Limapuluh Kota regencies in Indonesia's West Sumatra province have declared an emergency status for forest and land fires, following a surge in hotspots during the ongoing dry season, Ilham Wahab, an official from the West Sumatra Provincial Disaster Management Agency, said on Tuesday. 'In Solok regency alone, forest and land fires have occurred in all 14 districts,' Ilham was quoted as saying by Xinhua news agency. He noted that water bombing operations using helicopters have not yet been deployed, as the National Disaster Management Agency is currently prioritising firefighting efforts in Riau and South Sumatra provinces, where the situation is considered more critical. Rahmadinol, head of the Limapuluh Kota Regency Disaster Management Agency, explained that challenging terrain and limited equipment have hindered firefighting efforts. 'Most of the fire locations in Limapuluh Kota have slopes of 70-90 degrees, which makes firefighting efforts very challenging,' Rahmadinol said. According to the West Sumatra Forestry Service, at least 64 forest and land fire incidents have been recorded across nine regencies and cities from early 2025 to July 19, affecting a total area of 140.87 hectares. — Bernama
CNA
3 days ago
- Climate
- CNA
Indonesia's Sumatra sees 14-fold spike in fire hotspots over 1.5 weeks, as Malaysia warns of haze
JAKARTA: Indonesia's Sumatra island has seen a sharp spike in forest and land fires, with the number of hotspots jumping from 94 to more than 1,000 within 10 days. A total of 1,292 hotspots were detected in the region, according to a report by Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency BMKG on Monday (Jul 21). Hotspots are satellite images with high infrared intensity, indicating sources of high heat, such as forest and land fires. Within the region, Riau province has been the worst hit by fires in forests and peatlands, with a total of 582 hotspot detections. This is up from 38 hotspots reported on Jul 12. 'The trend (of number of hotspots) is increasing because Riau is entering the peak of the dry season and the intensity of rain and cloud growth is decreasing,' Irwan Nasution, coordinator of BMKG Riau province, told CNA. The Rokan Hilir regency and North Sumatra province were also badly hit by blazes, with 244 and 236 blazes detected in the areas respectively, according to the Jul 21 report by BMKG. Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said it will also be carrying out cloud-seeding to fight the forest fires in Riau from Jul 21 to Jul 27. Abdul Muhari, the head of the BNPB's Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center said that additional measures, such as a water-bombing helicopter and an air patrol to monitor the fires will also be deployed to Riau as part of the cloud-seeding and fire mitigation efforts, according to a report on the agency's website. Indonesia's fires are usually a result of slash-and-burn techniques being deployed to clear land for subsequent crops, as well as the dry season exacerbating the situation. The forest and peatland fires are a primary cause for the recurring issue of transboundary haze, which is an annual problem for Indonesia and its neighbours, including Singapore, Malaysia and southern Thailand. According to the ASEAN Specialised Monitoring Centre, dry conditions were observed over most parts of the southern ASEAN region from Jul 20. Aside from parts of northern Sumatra, hotspots were also detected in parts of Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. The Malaysian Meteorological Department, MetMalaysia, released an advisory on Jul 19 regarding the transboundary haze. It said that hotspots in Sumatara captured by satellite imagery last Friday and reported by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre could have contributed to the haze carried by south-westerly winds. It stated that the haze was affecting several states on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia, with the agency not expecting any changes in weather or wind direction that could reduce its impact over the coming days. On Monday morning, eight locations in Malaysia recorded air pollutant index readings above the unhealthy range of 100. The worst hit was Alor Gajah in Melaka, with a reading of 160.
CBS News
6 days ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Drought gets much worse in Aspen and Glenwood Springs as dry conditions persist across western half of Colorado
Colorado's drought situation is taking a turn for the worse, according to the latest data from the U.S. Drought Monitor. Extreme, severe, and moderate drought levels have all increased. Severe drought conditions rose by about 2%, but it's the nearly 8% spike in extreme drought that's most concerning. The worst of these worsening conditions are now centered in Pitkin and Eagle counties, where the drought status intensified from severe to extreme in just the past week. Currently, more than half of Colorado is experiencing some level of drought, highlighting the ongoing impact of a dry summer season across much of the western half of the state. The Western Slope saw particularly dry weather this past week, further deepening existing drought concerns in the region. However, there was a glimmer of improvement on the Eastern Plains — with Yuma and Kit Carson counties seeing enough moisture to ease conditions slightly, shifting from moderate drought to abnormally dry.
Malay Mail
23-06-2025
- Climate
- Malay Mail
Indonesia weather agency revises outlook, shorter dry season in 2025
JAKARTA, June 23 — Most areas in Indonesia will see a shorter-than-expected dry season this year due to higher-than-normal precipitation thus far, the country's weather agency said, which is expected to boost the rice crop in South-east Asia's largest economy. Indonesia's Meteorology and Geophysics agency previously predicted a normal dry season this year, beginning in April in most areas, reaching its peak in June until August. 'Our prediction shows that there was an anomaly of higher-than-normal precipitation... this becomes the main basis to predict the delayed dry season this year,' the agency's head Dwikorita Karnawati said in a statement over the weekend. The longer wet season is expected to benefit rice farmers because water supply would remain available, Dwikorita said, adding that, as of early June, only 19 per cent of the archipelago has seen the dry season begin. Indonesia's rice output in the January to July period is estimated to rise by 14.93 per cent annually to 21.76 million metric tonnes, the statistics bureau said. Indonesia targeted rice output to reach 32 million tons this year, higher than last year's at 30.62 million tonnes. Higher-than-normal rainfall is expected in the southern part of Sumatra island, Java island, Bali, East Nusa Tenggara and West Nusa Tenggara provinces, Dwikorita said. Some parts of Sumatra island and provinces in Borneo island would be the first to face the dry season, she added. The agency urged all stakeholders, including local government, to plan for uncertain climate patterns due to climate change. Heavy rain fell in some parts of Indonesia from January to March, the agency had said. Torrential rain in early March triggered floods of up to 3 metres in and around Indonesia's capital Jakarta and forced thousands to be evacuated. — Reuters
