Enviro News Asia, Palembang — The Indonesian Government has strengthened national preparedness efforts against potential forest and land fires through the 2026 South Sumatra Forest and Land Fire Preparedness Roll Call held in Palembang on Wednesday (6 May 2026). The initiative aims to anticipate a drier and longer dry season expected this year.
The preparedness roll call was led by Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago and accompanied by Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni. The event involved regional government officials, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the National Police (Polri), National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Manggala Agni personnel, and various stakeholders.
In his remarks, Minister Djamari Chaniago announced the reactivation of the National Forest and Land Fire Coordination Desk to strengthen coordination among ministries, agencies, and regional governments. He stated that the measure forms part of the implementation of Presidential Instruction No. 3 of 2020 on Forest and Land Fire Management.
“The government must not become complacent. All elements of the nation must strengthen preparedness, enhance mitigation efforts, and build solid cooperation so that forest and land fires can be minimized,” Djamari emphasized.
He added that South Sumatra remains one of Indonesia’s priority regions for fire management due to its peatland characteristics, dry mineral soils, extensive plantation areas, and recurring history of forest and land fires during the dry season.
According to Sipongi data from the Ministry of Forestry, the indicated burned area in South Sumatra from January to March 2026 reached 68.45 hectares, while the national total reached 55,324.19 hectares.
Meanwhile, Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni stated that the national trend of forest and land fires has continued to decline over recent years. He noted that the burned area decreased from 2.6 million hectares in 2015 to 1.6 million hectares in 2019, and further declined to approximately 1.1 million hectares in 2023.
“In 2025, we also managed to reduce the affected area from approximately 376 thousand hectares in 2024 to around 359 thousand hectares,” he said.
According to the minister, the improvement resulted from stronger inter-agency coordination, increased community participation through the establishment of Community Fire Awareness Groups (MPA), and stricter law enforcement against individuals and corporations responsible for illegal burning.
The Ministry of Forestry has also intensified integrated patrols, optimized hotspot monitoring technology, and strengthened the capacity of field personnel to improve early detection and response efforts.
Regional governments have been urged to declare emergency preparedness status immediately once vulnerability indicators increase. Public awareness campaigns and law enforcement against illegal burning practices will also continue to be strengthened to minimize the risk of haze disasters during the 2026 dry season. (*)
