Jakarta, Sept. 1 -- Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said the government remains on high alert for potential forest and land fires as Indonesia faces the peak of El Nino in September, including by intensifying weather modification operations across six priority provinces.

The number of hotspots in Riau, South Sumatra, Jambi, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan declined toward the end of August, Antoni told a news conference in Jakarta on Tuesday.

However, he stressed that the government continues to anticipate the risk of forest and land fires.

"From a natural perspective, we have not yet escaped the threat of El Nino. We are not safe from forest and land fires during this El Nino period. As I said earlier, Sept...