A girl receives oxygen respiratory treatment after being exposed to the haze from a forest fire at a health center in Riau, Indonesia, Sept. 15, 2019. A satellite image detected thick haze from a forest fire in Indonesia spreading into Malacca Strait, Singapore and Malaysia on Saturday, the Indonesian meteorology and geophysics agency said. (Photo by Hadly Vavaldi/Xinhua)
JAKARTA, Sept. 14 (Xinhua) -- A satellite image detected thick haze from a forest fire in Indonesia spreading into Malacca Strait, Singapore and Malaysia on Saturday, the Indonesian meteorology and geophysics agency said.
The Himawari 8 SM satellite found transboundary haze from Indonesia's Sumatra island to Singapore and Malaysian peninsula, and from Indonesia's West Kalimantan to Serawak of Malaysia, the agency said in a statement.
The directions of wind blow in both Sumatra island and Kalimantan island are generally moving from southeast and southwest to northwest and northeast, the agency said.
Forest fires often occur in Indonesia as growers use fire to clear lands to make room for new plantation. But the fires often rage out of control especially during the dry season.
Indonesia has deployed about 10,000 soldiers, police and personnel from disaster management agency and poured down millions of tons of water to douse the flame.
Meanwhile, four Malaysian companies were allegedly implicated in the forest fire, as hotspots have been detected in the areas for palm oil plantations operated by subsidiaries of the firms, the Indonesian disaster agency said Saturday.
A satellite image has found 130 hotspots spreading in the areas from 2013 to September 2019, said Agus Wibowo, spokesman of national disaster management agency.
The agency displayed a photographic image showing smoke billowing from parts of the plantations' area which has not been planted palm trees.
"Legal action and a fine would be charged to those, including owners of land concession for plantation, for ignorance and involving in burning land," Agus told Xinhua.
Agus reaffirmed that the forest fire in the country is caused the most by human activities.
