Indonesia is dealing with worsening regional haze caused by forest and land fires and is receiving offers of assistance. National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) officials say they welcome support from neighbouring countries as the smoke affects conditions across the region.
Singapore’s Environment Minister Grace Fu says Singapore “stands ready” to assist Indonesia and is in contact with her counterpart as the situation develops. BNPB acting spokesman Berton Panjaitan, speaking to The Straits Times, indicates that practical support on the ground may be more useful than aircraft because visibility is low for flying operations such as helicopters.
Malaysia has also offered help to Indonesia. Across outlets, the focus is on coordination and determining what kind of assistance can be most effective in the haze conditions, with Indonesian officials emphasizing the role of personnel deployed where they can carry out firefighting and mitigation work.
