Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Indonesia has intensified forest and land fire (karhutla) control operations following a rise in satellite-detected hotspots across several parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, with authorities strengthening ground suppression, aerial operations, patrols and air-quality monitoring.
The Ministry of Forestry said the increase was recorded through the SiPongi monitoring system, which uses data from NASA’s Terra/Aqua, SNPP and NOAA-20 satellites. As of 9:14 p.m. local time on August 27, 2026, the system detected 717 high-confidence hotspots and 12,696 medium-confidence hotspots, an increase from the previous day.
The ministry stressed that satellite hotspots represent surface temperature anomalies and do not automatically indicate individual fire incidents. A single fire can generate several hotspot detections, making ground verification essential before determining the actual scale and location of fires.
Among six priority provinces, Central Kalimantan recorded the highest number of high-confidence hotspots at 280, followed by West Kalimantan with 128 and South Sumatra with 82. South Kalimantan recorded 16, while Jambi and Riau recorded four and one respectively.
Medium-confidence detections were also concentrated in Central Kalimantan, with 4,358 hotspots, followed by West Kalimantan with 1,787 and South Sumatra with 1,037. South Kalimantan recorded 825, Riau 183 and Jambi 60.
In response, Manggala Agni firefighters from the Ministry of Forestry are working with the military, police, regional disaster management agencies, firefighters, local governments, Masyarakat Peduli Api community groups and residents to conduct fire suppression, ground checks, patrols, containment and mopping-up operations.
Field teams in West Kalimantan have been deployed in areas including Sintang and Ketapang. In Sintang, firefighters first assess active fire locations and establish priority sectors before deploying portable pumps and nearby water sources. In areas where water availability is limited, teams have established relay systems to transport water from ponds to collapsible tanks.
In Ketapang, firefighters have used water tankers after dry drainage channels limited access to water. Teams have also worked with the military and police to prevent fires from approaching residential areas and to extinguish remaining embers.
Operations in Central Kalimantan have focused on peatland fires, including direct suppression, mopping up, patrols and efforts to prevent fire from spreading. In Palangka Raya, firefighters have concentrated on areas where fires could move toward settlements, while drone monitoring and ground checks have been used around Sebangau National Park to identify priority fire locations.
Similar operations are underway in South Kalimantan and Sumatra. In Banjarbaru, combined ground and aerial suppression has been conducted to prevent fires from reaching public facilities. In Jambi, firefighters have worked alongside local authorities, security forces and residents, while operations in South Sumatra have targeted several locations, including Ogan Ilir and Palembang.
The government has also strengthened aerial support, with 30 helicopters on standby in Kalimantan and 22 in Sumatra for water bombing and aerial patrols. Weather modification operations are being pursued when meteorological conditions are suitable to support fire suppression efforts.
At the same time, authorities are monitoring the impact of smoke on visibility and air quality. On August 27, visibility in Pontianak was around one kilometer under smoky conditions, while Palangka Raya recorded approximately 1.2 kilometers. Pekanbaru recorded about three kilometers with hazy conditions, while visibility in Palembang and Banjarmasin stood at around 3.5 and four kilometers respectively.
The Ministry of Forestry urged communities not to clear or prepare land by burning and called on residents in affected areas to monitor official air-quality information and environmental conditions.
Authorities also encouraged the public to immediately report smoke, suspected fire locations or other indications of forest and land fires so that verification and suppression can be conducted at an early stage. (*)
