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El Niño compounds Indonesia’s drought and wildfire response
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Indonesia reinforces wildfire response as drought limits water supplies
Indonesia has deployed 80,000 police and military personnel and 10,000 civilian volunteers to reinforce wildfire crews, according to a September 22 report. More than 200,000 hectares burned from January through July, although official August and September totals remain unavailable. Receding rivers and reservoirs are limiting firefighting water in some areas. NOAA says El Niño is strengthening, while ASEAN forecasters expect elevated fire and transboundary-haze risk under likely below-normal rainfall across much of the Maritime Continent; local effects remain variable rather than guaranteed. This briefing covers 2026-09-20T16:24:06.040Z through 2026-09-22T04:24:06.040Z.
Climate Prediction Center: ENSO Diagnostic Discussion · Through smoke, flames and exhaustion, Sumatra’s firefighters find strength to carry on · Regional Climate – Seasonal Outlook