REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PEKANBARU -- The number of hotspots detected across Sumatra Island increased to 80 on Wednesday, from 13 on the previous day. Of the total 80 hotspots, 38 were found in Riau Province, according to data of the Pekanbaru meteorology station.

Some 21 hotspots were found in Lampung Province, 10 in South Sumatra, three each in Riau Islands and Jambi, two in Bangka Belitung, and one each in North Sumatra as well as West Sumatra.

In Riau Province, the Terra and Aqua satellites detected 36 hotspots in Indragiri Hilir District and two in Pelalawan District.

Also read: 87 hotspots detected in four Sumatran provinces

"Some 32 hotspots were found in Indragiri Hilir, with above 70 percent accuracy of being fire spots, while only one was detected in Pelalawan," Sukisno, head of the Pekanbaru meteorology, climatology, and geophysics station, stated.

Indonesia is currently being hit by prolonged severe dry season that has triggered water shortages in regions, such as East Nusa Tenggara and parts of Java, and forest fires in Kalimantan, Sumatra, and Java. The drought hit 4,053 villages in 888 sub-districts located in 111 districts and cities in 11 provinces.

Some 4.87 million people in the country were affected by this year's drought, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency stated recently.

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