Enviro News Asia, Kubu Raya — Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni has led a coordination meeting on forest and land fire (karhutla) control in Kubu Raya, West Kalimantan, strengthening ground and aerial operations as well as cross-sector cooperation to contain fires and protect communities.
The meeting was held at the Manggala Agni Operations Area in Kubu Raya following the minister’s inspection of fire-affected areas in Rasau Jaya. The measures were carried out as part of the follow-up to President Prabowo Subianto’s direction to strengthen national forest and land fire control.
According to Ministry of Forestry data from SiPongi as of August 23 at 11:59 p.m. local time, West Kalimantan recorded 28 hotspots. However, Raja Juli warned that the decline in hotspots did not mean the fire threat had ended.
During his field inspection, he found that although surface flames were no longer visible in some areas, smoke was still emerging from peatlands, indicating that combustion could continue beneath the surface.
“The decline in hotspots must not make us complacent. Instead, it should encourage us to remain more vigilant and prevent land clearing through burning, whether by farmers, private parties or corporations,” Raja Juli said.
The ministry is strengthening ground operations by deploying additional personnel. Nationally, 5,000 Ministry of Forestry civil servants will be assigned to support Manggala Agni and joint teams in six priority provinces.
Around 2,200 additional personnel will be deployed across Kalimantan, including approximately 700 personnel in West Kalimantan from forest rangers and Ministry of Forestry technical units from various regions.
Ground operations will be complemented by aerial operations, including water bombing and weather modification operations (OMC). Raja Juli said he was coordinating with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) to maximize opportunities for cloud growth and rainfall.
“Whatever the potential for rain clouds after August 27, we will continue weather modification operations to support the teams on the ground,” he said.
BMKG representative Erika said West Kalimantan remained generally dry. Ketapang Regency had experienced approximately 54 consecutive days without rainfall, while Kubu Raya had experienced around 42 days.
Weather modification operations conducted from August 22 to 27 had generated rainfall in several areas and contributed to a decline in hotspots. However, weather conditions were expected to become very dry again after August 27.
The Governor of West Kalimantan reported that approximately 4,138 personnel had been deployed to respond to forest and land fires across the province, excluding additional personnel who were being mobilized.
He said air quality and visibility had begun to improve compared with previous days and expressed confidence that the situation could be brought under control through additional personnel, equipment, aircraft and water bombing operations.
The West Kalimantan Police also continued pre-emptive, preventive and law enforcement measures. These included establishing fire-response villages, activating monitoring posts, conducting door-to-door public outreach, and using drones and command centers to monitor fire-prone areas.
Police reported that 22 cases related to forest and land fires had been processed in West Kalimantan as of the previous evening. Law enforcement efforts are being conducted alongside firefighting, patrols, cooling operations and public awareness campaigns.
Raja Juli emphasized that community participation remains critical to preventing and controlling forest and land fires. He called for stronger cooperation between central and regional governments, law enforcement agencies, communities and other stakeholders.
“We must break down sectoral egos among ministries and institutions. The central and regional governments must unite. Institutions operating in the regions must also put aside sectoral interests. Effective communication must come before institutional authority,” he said.
The coordination meeting was attended by the Governor of West Kalimantan, the West Kalimantan Police Chief, representatives of the Indonesian Military, the provincial disaster management agency, environmental and forestry authorities, BNPB, BMKG, Manggala Agni, local governments and other relevant institutions.
The minister’s working visit to West Kalimantan began with an inspection of the forest and land fire site in Rasau Jaya Tiga Village, Kubu Raya, where he observed firefighting operations conducted by Manggala Agni and other stakeholders before leading the coordination meeting. (*)
