The number was down to 136 on Saturday, compared with 1,374 last Monday, according to the country’s Environment and Forestry Ministry.

Since Friday, Indonesian agencies have scattered more than 200,000kg of salt for cloud seeding and 317 million litres of water to put out forest fires plaguing the country, the ministry said.

As many as 32 forest fire hotspots were still detected in the Kalimantan region, mostly in mining-rich East Kalimantan, while the number in Sumatra had dropped to 22, it added.

The blazes are largely caused by illegal slash-and-burn methods some Indonesian farmers use to clear farmland for cash crops, despite government efforts to stamp out the practice over the years.

The resulting haze from the fires has disrupted air travel, prompted the closing of schools, and also affected Indonesia’s neighbouring countries, including Malaysia and Singapore.