Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Indonesia recorded a significant decline in high-confidence hotspots nationwide, but the Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) is strengthening forest and land fire control operations in areas where hotspot activity remains elevated, particularly South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan.
Kemenhut’s SiPongi monitoring system detected 365 high-confidence hotspots as of 9 p.m. local time on September 28, down by 194 from the 559 recorded the previous day.
The decline was recorded nationally, although conditions varied across regions. Among the six priority provinces, South Sumatra recorded the highest number of high-confidence hotspots, while Central Kalimantan experienced a substantial decrease.
South Sumatra recorded 96 hotspots, up from 29, while Central Kalimantan fell from 134 to 37. Jambi increased from five to 25, while South Kalimantan declined from 25 to four.
West Kalimantan recorded no high-confidence hotspots, down from 11, while Riau remained at zero.
Collectively, the six priority provinces recorded 162 high-confidence hotspots, down from 204 the previous day.
Kemenhut is maintaining stronger operations in areas that continue to record high hotspot activity or have experienced increases, particularly South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan.
The ministry also emphasized that hotspot detections do not represent the number of actual fires. Hotspots indicate surface-temperature anomalies detected by NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, as well as SNPP and NOAA-20. A single fire can generate several hotspot detections, meaning every indication requires ground verification.
Ground and Aerial Operations
Integrated forest and land fire control operations continue on the ground and in the air. The government has 61 aircraft on standby, consisting of 17 aircraft for patrols and weather modification operations and 44 aircraft for water bombing.
Fifty-five aircraft support operations in the six priority provinces, while six additional water-bombing aircraft are positioned to assist other affected areas.
On the ground, Manggala Agni personnel from Kemenhut are working with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Indonesian Military (TNI), National Police (Polri), regional disaster management agencies, local governments, communities, volunteers, businesses and other stakeholders.
The teams are conducting patrols, ground checks, direct firefighting, firebreak operations, wetting, mopping up and cooling activities to prevent fires from spreading or reigniting.
Particular attention remains focused on peatlands. Fires can continue burning beneath the surface even after visible flames have been extinguished. Authorities therefore continue wetting and cooling operations until affected areas are considered safe.
Air Quality and Visibility
BMKG PM2.5 monitoring indicates that most parts of Indonesia remain within the good to moderate air-quality categories. However, several areas continue to record unhealthy to very unhealthy conditions and require monitoring.
Air quality is influenced not only by forest and land fires but also by meteorological conditions. Residents are therefore encouraged to follow official updates from BMKG and local governments.
BMKG Aviation observations at several major airports in priority provinces on the evening of September 28 showed varying visibility conditions. Supadio Airport in Pontianak recorded visibility of around two kilometers under smoky conditions, while visibility reached approximately eight kilometers in Pekanbaru, seven kilometers in Jambi, at least 10 kilometers in Palembang and around nine kilometers in Banjarmasin.
Visibility can change rapidly depending on weather conditions and airborne particle concentrations. Continuous monitoring is therefore being carried out to support fire-control operations and maintain the safety of communities and aviation activities.
Kemenhut has urged residents, particularly those in areas experiencing declining air quality, to reduce outdoor activities if conditions worsen and wear masks when outdoor activities are unavoidable.
Children, pregnant women, older people and individuals with respiratory conditions or chronic illnesses require particular attention during periods of deteriorating air quality.
The ministry also reminded communities and businesses not to open or clear land by burning. Residents who observe smoke, fires or land-burning activities are encouraged to report them immediately so authorities can respond at an early stage. (*)
