Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — The Indonesian Government has strengthened integrated operations to control forest and land fires across Kalimantan, particularly in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan, following a sharp increase in high-confidence hotspots and reports of haze and reduced visibility in several areas.
The operation involves the Ministry of Forestry, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG), regional governments, disaster management agencies, the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police, Manggala Agni firefighting teams, community fire groups, businesses, volunteers, and local communities.
According to the Ministry of Forestry’s SIPONGI forest and land fire monitoring system, NASA-MODIS Terra-Aqua satellite observations recorded a significant increase in high-confidence hotspots on August 19. West Kalimantan recorded 259 hotspots, Central Kalimantan 242, and South Kalimantan 17, bringing the total to 518 hotspots in the three provinces in one day.
Cumulatively, 750 high-confidence hotspots were detected across the three provinces between August 17 and 19. West Kalimantan recorded 367 hotspots, Central Kalimantan 343, and South Kalimantan 40 during the period.
The government emphasized that hotspots do not automatically represent the number of fires because a single fire can generate multiple hotspot detections. Each hotspot therefore requires field verification to determine the actual location, cause, and size of the affected area.
The government has deployed at least 12,880 combined personnel across the three priority provinces. The deployment consists of 1,410 personnel in West Kalimantan, 10,700 in Central Kalimantan, and 770 in South Kalimantan. Teams are conducting integrated patrols, field verification, ground firefighting, cooling and wetting operations, fire containment, and monitoring of fire-prone areas.
Ground operations are being supported by firefighting vehicles, pumps, flexible water tanks, communication equipment, protective gear, patrol helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, and water-bombing helicopters. Additional bore wells are also being developed and activated in priority areas to provide more reliable water sources as surface water becomes increasingly limited during the dry conditions.
The government is also continuing weather modification operations to increase the potential for rainfall in areas vulnerable to fires. In West Kalimantan, weather modification operations were conducted from August 13 to 17, involving nine sorties and an estimated 10.92 million cubic meters of rainfall in the seeding areas. Further operations may be conducted from August 23 to 27, subject to atmospheric conditions and cloud availability.
In Central Kalimantan, weather modification operations were carried out from July 27 to August 4 and from August 11 to 15, involving 13 sorties and an estimated 4.8 million cubic meters of rainfall. However, opportunities for further operations remain limited because dry conditions and limited rain-cloud growth are expected to persist through the end of August.
Air operations have also been strengthened in Central Kalimantan. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has coordinated with the Head of BNPB to increase aerial support for water-bombing operations, particularly in areas that are difficult to reach by land.
However, thick haze has created safety challenges for aerial firefighting. Reduced visibility around Jabiren, Tanjung Taruna, and the Sebangau National Park area can restrict pilots’ ability to identify targets and operate safely. The government stressed that aerial operations cannot be forced when visibility does not meet aviation safety requirements.
Despite these limitations, ground teams continue firefighting, containment, wetting, cooling, and monitoring operations. Authorities are also investigating the causes of forest and land fires, with legal action to be taken if deliberate burning, negligence, or other violations are identified.
The government has urged communities in affected areas to wear masks, reduce outdoor activities when air quality deteriorates, and seek medical assistance if respiratory problems occur. Motorists are also advised to reduce speed, maintain a safe distance, and use vehicle lights when visibility is limited.
Authorities are encouraging the public to immediately report fires or smoke plumes to BPBD, Manggala Agni, local authorities, or the nearest emergency post as integrated operations continue across the three provinces. (*)
