Indonesia and Malaysia are facing a seven-year high in fire hotspots, raising the risk of an intensified transboundary haze across Southeast Asia in the coming months, according to a Bloomberg report.
According to the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre, there were 825 smoldering hotspots in March across key palm-oil growing regions in Indonesia and Malaysia.
“This points to a structural shift, where fire and haze risks are no longer confined to the main dry period but increasingly extend into off-season windows due to prolonged dryness,” said Khor Yu Leng, Associate Director (Sustainability) and Senior Fellow at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs.
Read the article here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-31/fire-hotspots-and-scant-rains-raise-haze-alarm-in-southeast-asia
