SHAH ALAM, Sept 4 — Forest fires in Indonesia have been detected not only on the surface but also smouldering underground amid severe, widespread drought, making firefighting efforts harder and worsening air pollution.
The United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said some of the fires involved tropical peatlands that burn slowly at low temperatures but can spread beneath the surface.
Berita Harian reported that it said the condition produces higher levels of air pollution and is more difficult to control than conventional fires.
“The Aqua satellite captured an image on September 1 showing smoke blanketing much of Indonesia and Malaysia,” NASA said.
It also marked red dots on the image to indicate thermal anomalies detected by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), serving as indicators of fire locations.
However, thick smoke and cloud cover made it difficult for the instrument to detect fires occurring beneath the forest canopy and underground.
Indonesia, which contains about 36 per cent of the world’s tropical peatland, released 1.75 billion tonnes of greenhouse gases during major fires in 2015 that lasted for more than three months.
NASA said that as of September 2, this year’s fires, which have been burning for about a month, have released approximately 10 per cent of the total greenhouse gas emissions recorded in 2015.
The fires and haze have also disrupted daily activities, with schools in some areas switching to distance learning, while several flights were reportedly delayed.
An ecologist from the University of Maryland Centre for Environmental Science said efforts to tackle the fires needed to continue rather than receive attention only during El Nino events.
A long-term approach is important, particularly in addressing forest and peatland fires as dry weather increases the risk of such incidents recurring.
