Indonesia's BNPB coordinates response to Central Kalimantan wildfires

Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is intensifying coordination across ministries, the armed forces and police to combat forest and land fires in Central Kalimantan. BNPB head Suharyanto said the effort follows President Prabowo Subianto’s directive to move in unison, especially as the region’s peatlands are highly vulnerable.

Priority locations identified are the city of Palangka Raya, Pulang Pisau Regency and the village of Tumbang Nusa. All available aircraft – two patrol helicopters, three water‑bombing helicopters, one weather‑modification plane and the rest of the fleet – will be deployed for aerial water‑spraying and cloud‑seeding. The provincial emergency alert for forest fires runs from 26 May to 31 October 2026, with additional ground teams and equipment being provided to support firefighting and drought mitigation ahead of the projected El Niño peak in August‑September 2026.