Jakarta (ANTARA) – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is strengthening weather modification operations, adding aircraft, and reinforcing firefighting personnel and equipment to combat forest and land fires in Kalimantan.
BNPB Head Suharyanto stated in a release on Sunday that an increase in forest and land fires was concentrated primarily in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan.
The situation has been exacerbated by nearly a week without rain, heightening the risk of fire and causing haze to persist across several areas.
“Fires in Kalimantan present unique challenges because so many occur on peatlands. Even when the surface appears extinguished, fires can continue smoldering underground,” Suharyanto explained.
He added that heavy, sustained rainfall plays a key role in thoroughly rewetting the peat and extinguishing those subsurface fires.
Following a joint technical evaluation with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) on Sunday (August 23), intensive salt-based cloud seeding operations resumed across target areas in Kalimantan. To support the effort, BNPB has readied 30 helicopters to strengthen water bombing and aerial patrols in Kalimantan.
In addition to air operations, the government has bolstered ground task forces with extra equipment and allocated up to 100 water trucks per province based on local needs. The trucks will help distribute water for ground crews operating in affected districts and cities.
Suharyanto emphasized that the central government is giving priority to the disaster response in Kalimantan. Following inspections in hard-hit areas of West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, President Prabowo Subianto instructed officials to meet all equipment and infrastructure needs for joint field teams and to speed up suppression efforts.
BNPB also continues to monitor the impact of haze on daily activities, particularly air travel, as thick smoke has temporarily reduced visibility in several areas, including Banjarbaru, Palangka Raya, and Pontianak, mainly in the morning before gradually clearing by afternoon.
Air traffic monitoring on Sunday morning showed that flights at several airports, including Syamsudin Noor Airport, Supadio Airport, and Tjilik Riwut Airport, operated safely and on schedule. To address health risks from haze, the agency continues to coordinate with the Ministry of Health and local governments.
Integrated health posts have been reinforced in affected regions to ensure necessary protection and care for vulnerable groups, such as children, the elderly, pregnant women, and individuals with underlying medical conditions.
Regarding the risk of transboundary haze, the Indonesian government is maintaining continuous monitoring and inter-agency coordination based on evolving conditions on the ground.
“With all of these efforts, we are optimistic that forest and land fires in Kalimantan can soon be brought under control,” he remarked.
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Translator: Mecca Yumna, Raka Adji
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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