Activation of Alert Level 3 for the Southern ASEAN Region
In recent days, the hotspot and smoke haze situation over the southern ASEAN region has deteriorated further under the prolonged dry conditions. Based on satellite surveillance, widespread moderate to dense smoke haze was observed to emanate from clusters of hotspots detected in Kalimantan, with moderate to dense transboundary haze observed to drift northwards from the hotspot clusters in West Kalimantan. Moderate to dense smoke haze was also observed across large parts of southern and central Sumatra. 287 and 190 hotspots were detected in Kalimantan, and 65 and 81 hotspots were detected in Sumatra, on 24 and 25 August 2026 respectively from the NOAA-20 satellite.
Dry conditions are forecast to persist over most of the southern ASEAN region. Coupled with El Niño conditions that are predicted to strengthen over the coming months, the hotspot and smoke haze situation could escalate further, thereby increasing the risk of severe transboundary haze occurrence in the southern ASEAN region.