BNPB: Forest And Land Fires In Central Kalimantan Are More Difficult To Handle Than NTT

Illustrations - The East Kotim BPBD Task Force seeks to extinguish forest and land fires in Sungai Paring Village, Central Kalimantan, August 5, 2024. (ANTARA-HO-BPBD Kotim)

JAKARTA - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said that forest and land fires (karhutla) in Central Kalimantan are more difficult to handle than similar incidents in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT). The reason is the characteristics of peatlands that dominate the Central Kalimantan region.

Head of BNPB Suharyanto explained, although the area of land burned in NTT is greater, because it is not peatland, extinguishing can be done faster, either through rain or water sprinkling.

"East Nusa Tenggara, although the burned area is wider, because it is not peat, when it rains or intervenes in water sprinkling, it immediately goes out," said Suharyanto in a statement in Jakarta, Antara, Friday, August 8, 2025.

He added that the complexity of controlling forest and land fires in Central Kalimantan is equivalent to a number of other priority provinces such as West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, South Sumatra, Jambi, and Riau. All have similar peat characteristics.

Therefore, handling forest and land fires in these areas requires extra efforts, such as deploying land task forces with complete equipment, watering air using special aircraft, to weather modification technology to increase rain opportunities.

"If a fire hits a peatland, the challenge becomes big. The fire does not immediately extinguish even if it is doused with water," he said.

BNPB emphasizes the importance of preparedness in all regions to face the peak of the dry season which is expected to continue until early September. Preparedness is the key to minimizing ecological and health impacts.

Data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry noted that from January to June 2025, the national burned land area reached 8,594 hectares. Of that number, about 80.15 percent are peat areas.

Six priority provinces recorded the most incidents, with West Kalimantan being the most affected with 1,149 hectares of burned land, followed by Riau (751 hectares), Central Kalimantan (146 hectares), and Jambi and South Sumatra 43 hectares each. Meanwhile, South Kalimantan has not reported any fires.

Meanwhile, in East Nusa Tenggara, 1,424 hectares of land were recorded on fire during the same period.