Post #6030

🇮🇩Sumatra Provinces on Alert as El Niño Looms Riau and South Sumatra are bracing for a surge in forest and peatland fires as a potential "super El Niño" raises the prospect of a prolonged, intensified dry season. In the first three months of 2026 alone, fires burned at least 42,000ha across Indonesia — roughly four times the size of Paris. Both provinces contain the largest peatland concentrations in Sumatra, with Riau covering roughly half peatland and South Sumatra a quarter — terrain that makes fires difficult to extinguish and prone to deep subsurface burning. El Niño-driven drought cycles have historically triggered regional haze crises affecting Malaysia and Singapore. A severe fire season would compound pressure on Indonesia's deforestation commitments and regional air quality agreements. #Indonesia @asianomics