The Australian government has deployed a military transport aircraft to help Indonesia put out wildfires in Borneo that are causing toxic haze across the region, both countries have said.
The months-long blazes have engulfed huge tracts of land and produced air pollution that has harmed human health, drifted across borders and frayed Indonesia's ties with its neighbours.
The C-130 Hercules plane left the Indonesian capital Jakarta for East Kalimantan province on Thursday to join local water-bombing efforts, the Indonesian disaster agency chief said.
"Based on our monitoring and observations, as well as discussions with the Australian technical team, there are still many hotspots in the East Kalimantan region," Kristomei Sianturi said in a statement late on Thursday.
The C-130 can drop 15,000 litres of water per sortie, or just over 100,000 litres per day, according to a statement from the Australian embassy in Indonesia.
Ambassador Rod Brazier said the countries were "enduring friends" and recalled support that Indonesia sent to help battle Australia's own devastating bushfires in 2020.
Australia is also sending a Cessna Citation aircraft as a guide plane as well as 20 personnel, including pilots, flight crew and paramedics.
The air operation is scheduled to last for seven days, from 6 to 12 November.
Deforestation monitor Nusantara Atlas estimates the blazes consumed more than 1.9 million hectares of land in the first nine months of the year.
Experts say much of the destruction is linked to slash-and-burn land-clearing practices, often associated with the expansion of timber, palm oil and mining operations.
More than 400,000 people in Indonesia have been treated for acute respiratory ailments caused by the toxic haze, the health ministry said on Wednesday.
Japan also sent about 350 Self-Defense Forces members with three helicopters to help with firefighting efforts in West Kalimantan in September.
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