Japan sends disaster relief force to Indonesia as Kalimantan fires fuel haze

Japan is sending a disaster relief force to Indonesia as forest and land fires in Kalimantan continue to produce dense smoke, with neighbouring Malaysia recording hazardous air quality and Brunei also experiencing haze.

The Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) dispatched the transport vessel JS Kunisaki from Kure, western Japan, on Sunday (30 August), carrying three CH-47 heavy-lift helicopters for firefighting operations in Indonesia.

Around 350 Japanese personnel are expected to take part in the mission. The vessel is expected to take one to two weeks to reach Indonesia, according to Indonesian news agency Antara.

The deployment follows a request from the Indonesian government and comes after Indonesia and Japan signed a defence cooperation agreement in May covering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

Thousands of hotspots detected in Kalimantan

Kalimantan remains one of the areas worst affected by Indonesia's current forest and land fires.

The ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) detected 1,211 hotspots across the southern ASEAN region on 29 August. Of these, 1,180 were in Kalimantan, 18 in Sumatra and 13 in Malaysia.

Earlier, ASMC recorded 7,286 hotspots in Kalimantan between 1 and 19 August, compared with 148 in Sarawak. Smoke from West Kalimantan was reported moving northwards into western Sarawak.

By 29 August, the number of hotspots detected in Kalimantan since the beginning of the month had risen to 12,888, while Sarawak had recorded 185.

The fires have also reduced visibility in parts of Indonesia. BNPB Acting Head of the Data, Information and Disaster Communication Centre Berton Panjaitan said visibility in three priority areas of Kalimantan had fallen to between one and 1.5 kilometres.

The scale of the fires has also created serious problems for wildlife. On 30 August, a weakened orangutan was rescued from a fire-affected plantation area in Ketapang, West Kalimantan, after being found struggling to breathe in thick smoke. A veterinarian diagnosed the animal with an acute respiratory infection associated with smoke exposure and hypoxia.

Sarawak records hazardous air quality

The smoke crossing from Kalimantan has severely affected Sarawak, on the northern part of Borneo.

On 30 August, Serian recorded an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 412, while Samarahan recorded 332 and Kuching 304. All three were classified as hazardous. Sri Aman recorded a very unhealthy reading of 228.

The situation worsened on 31 August. DayakDaily reported that Sri Aman had reached an API reading of 331 by 10am, while Serian was approaching 500. Kuching and Samarahan also recorded readings above 300.

The haze has already disrupted education in Sarawak. Earlier this month, hundreds of schools were temporarily closed as air quality deteriorated, affecting nearly 200,000 pupils.

Health authorities have also reported increases in respiratory and eye-related illnesses. Bernama reported that asthma cases recorded through sentinel facilities rose to 1,811 during the week of 23-29 August, from 219 the previous week. Conjunctivitis cases increased from 146 to 720.

Malaysia steps up response

Malaysia has begun expanding measures to deal with the worsening haze.

Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said cloud-seeding operations were being conducted in affected areas, particularly where API readings exceeded 150 or dam water levels were declining.

Cloud seeding was planned for Sarawak, Kedah and Perlis from 3 to 5 September, subject to weather conditions.

Malaysia is also coordinating with Indonesia on weather-modification operations aimed at addressing the transboundary haze.

Brunei also affected

Brunei, which shares the island of Borneo with Indonesia and Malaysia, has also experienced hazy conditions.

Brunei's authorities said smoke from numerous hotspots across Borneo, particularly in Indonesia's Central and West Kalimantan, was contributing to the haze.

Satellite imagery detected 514 hotspots across Borneo on Thursday, 1,734 on Friday and 1,180 on Saturday. The hotspots were concentrated mainly in western Borneo.

Prevailing south-westerly winds were carrying smoke towards Brunei. However, air-quality monitoring stations in all four districts remained within the good to moderate range at the time of the assessment.

Borneo Bulletin reported that residents had been advised to take precautions and monitor for symptoms such as coughing and eye irritation.

Singapore monitors the haze

Singapore is also monitoring the movement of smoke from Indonesia, although it has not experienced the same severe air-quality readings recorded in parts of Sarawak.

According to forecasts presented by Indonesia's BNPB, PM2.5 pollution from fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan was moving north-westwards. Prevailing winds could carry pollutants towards Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei through the Malacca Strait and the Natuna Sea.

Japan's helicopters to join firefighting effort

Indonesia has already deployed ground personnel, water-bombing helicopters, aerial surveillance and weather-modification operations to fight the fires.

Japan's three CH-47 helicopters will add to the aerial firefighting capacity once the JS Kunisaki reaches Indonesia.

The aircraft will operate as part of Indonesia's wider firefighting response. The Japanese deployment is expected to strengthen efforts to contain fires in Kalimantan while authorities across Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore continue to monitor the movement of smoke and changes in air quality.

The JS Kunisaki is expected to arrive in Indonesia within one to two weeks, after which the Japanese helicopters are scheduled to begin supporting firefighting operations in Kalimantan.