Indonesia intensifies response to spreading forest and land fires

Authorities in Indonesia are implementing new strategies to combat spreading forest and land fires (karhutla) across Kalimantan. In South Kalimantan, Deputy Coordinating Minister for Food Hanif Faisol Nurofiq announced a new approach involving detailed mapping and the marking of target polygons to help field teams prioritize locations and accelerate movement. This strategy aims to address the issue of residual hotspots that continue to trigger new fires.

In Central Kalimantan, Police Chief Iwan Kurniawan has ordered the optimization of firebreaks to prevent the spread of flames, particularly in peatland areas where embers can remain active beneath the surface. Joint teams including the TNI, Polri, BPBD, and Manggala Agni are conducting firefighting and cooling operations. As of October 8, 2026, Central Kalimantan has recorded 5,937 fire incidents covering approximately 17,530 hectares.