Enviro News Asia, Riau — The Ministry of Forestry has intensified forest and land fire (karhutla) suppression efforts across Sumatra as rising temperatures and increasing hotspots signal heightened fire risk at the beginning of 2026.
Through the Manggala Agni units under the Directorate General of Forestry Law Enforcement (Gakkumhut), the ministry is conducting fire suppression operations in Aceh, North Sumatra, and Riau. Several other provinces, including Jambi and parts of South Sumatra, have also been identified as fire-prone areas due to increasing drought potential during the dry season.
The Forestry Ministry confirmed that a number of fire incidents were successfully contained on Sunday, 25 January 2026. Fire suppression teams extinguished a 4.5-hectare forest and land fire in the Giam Siak Kecil Wildlife Reserve, Tasik Serai Village, Bengkalis Regency, Riau. Another two-hectare fire in Bunsur Village, Sei Apit District, Siak Regency, Riau, was also brought under control.
Firefighting operations remain ongoing in several locations. Manggala Agni teams from the Sumatra VII/Rengat Operational Area, working alongside the Pelalawan Regency Forest and Land Fire Task Force, continue suppression efforts in Teluk Meranti and Kerumutan sub-districts, Pelalawan Regency, Riau. In Aceh, teams from the Sumatra I/Sibolangit Operational Area are coordinating with the West Aceh Regional Disaster Management Agency and Forest Management Unit IV to control fires in Suak Raya and Suak Nie villages, Johan Pahlawan District, West Aceh Regency.
To prevent further escalation, the Ministry has launched intensified fire prevention patrols in Riau. Head of the Sumatra Regional Forest Fire Control Center, Ferdian Krisnanto, stated in Palembang on Monday, 26 January 2026, that patrols aim to detect early field conditions, assess fuel loads and water sources, and strengthen coordination with local communities to ensure rapid response to fire incidents.
Additional Manggala Agni units from the Sumatra II/Pematang Siantar and Sumatra III/Labuhan Batu Operational Areas are currently en route to fire locations in Panai Tengah District, Labuhan Batu Regency, and Sibaganding Village, Simalungun Regency, North Sumatra.
Ferdian added that groundwater level monitoring data from the Ministry of Environment indicate declining water tables in several monitoring points across Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, and Jambi, reaching vulnerable to dangerous levels. Daily hotspot monitoring shows a widespread increase across Sumatra, while the Fire Danger Rating System issued by the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) also indicates rising fire risk.
The Ministry of Forestry reaffirmed its commitment to rapid response and multi-stakeholder coordination to contain and extinguish forest and land fires across Sumatra. (*)
