00:00Forest and land fires are surging across Indonesia's Kalimantan region, sending thick smoke into residential areas.
00:07Satellite data from NASA's firms shows a sharp rise in fire activity during August.
00:12On August 18, MODIS detected around 5,206 thermal anomaly pixels across Kalimantan.
00:19West Kalimantan recorded the highest number of VIRS detections, with more than 82,000 pixels.
00:25But researchers say El Niño is not the only reason these fires keep returning.
00:30Kalimantan has about 4.5 million hectares of peatland, which naturally stores large amounts of water.
00:36Drainage canals built for plantations can dry this peat, making it far more vulnerable to fire.
00:42Research shows drainage canals can increase the probability of peatland fires by roughly 4.5 times.
00:48El Niño increases the danger, but land degradation and human activity can determine how severely fires spread.
00:55Experts say long-term prevention requires protecting and restoring peatlands before the next major fire season begins.
01:03Disclosure. This video contains stock footage and content created or enhanced using AI-assisted tools AI-generated.
