Indonesia forest fires persist in Riau despite recent rainfall

Indonesia is facing a critical period of forest and land fires (karhutla) as of September 2026. The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that the impacts of El Niño continue to pose a threat, with hundreds of high-confidence hotspots detected in Sumatra and Kalimantan in early September.

In Riau province, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that burned land reached approximately 18,000 hectares by early September. While heavy rains recently extinguished large fires in the Indragiri Hulu and Siak regions, new hotspots have emerged in the Bantan district of Bengkalis.

Authorities have deployed two water-bombing helicopters to Bengkalis to assist ground teams and are conducting weather modification operations (OMC) to encourage rainfall. Due to the nature of the peatland, emergency personnel remain on standby to cool the ground and prevent smoldering embers from reigniting the fires.