ASEAN Coordination Helps Indonesia Address Regional Haze Impact

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Indonesia is using the ASEAN regional mechanism to strengthen coordination in responding to forest and land fires and help neighboring countries anticipate the spread and impact of smoke across the region.

The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the country has consistently complied with ASEAN mechanisms for handling forest and land fires and their impacts on several countries in the region.

The ministry spokesperson Vahd Nabyl A. Mulachela said ASEAN has maintained Alert Level 3 for haze conditions in the region since August 26, 2026, requiring all member states to submit daily situation reports and response measures.

"Indonesia complies with this obligation through daily reports and various measures that have been detailed according to the criteria for the alert level," Nabyl said during a media briefing in Jakarta on Thursday, September 17, 2026, as quoted by Antara.

He explained that the reports cover monitoring, assessments and emergency measures taken, along with projected smoke trajectory maps.

Indonesia also proactively provides data on hotspots, environmental conditions in affected areas and indications of smoke movement. The reports also include Indonesia's response measures, including emergency responses and intensive firefighting efforts.

The reports are then distributed to focal points from each ASEAN member state to help them establish anticipatory measures and address the impact of smoke as effectively as possible, he said.

Nabyl added that the ASEAN Secretariat is the authorized body to coordinate joint regional efforts to address the impact of forest and land fires.

Meanwhile, the ministry Spokesperson I Yvonne Mewengkang confirmed that Indonesia has not received any protest notes from neighboring countries regarding forest and land fires or the resulting haze.

"We have not received any protest notes from countries in the region or neighboring countries. Until now, we have not received any," she said.

Based on SiPongi data sourced from NASA Terra/Aqua, SNPP and NOAA-20 satellites as of Tuesday, September 15, at 9:05 p.m. local time, Indonesia recorded 1,037 high-confidence hotspots nationwide, a decrease of 400 from the previous day.

The haze from forest and land fires in Indonesia has also been reported to have reached Sabah and Sarawak in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the Philippines, including the capital Manila.

Meanwhile, the Japanese government has deployed three helicopters to assist firefighting operations in Indonesia from September 12 to 19, 2026.

The Malaysian government has also expressed its readiness to provide assistance to Indonesia, although it is still waiting for a response from Jakarta. ***