BNPB Records a Series of Daily Disasters: Floods to Karhutla Spread in Riau

DOK BNPB

JAKARTA - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) recorded a number of disaster incidents during the monitoring period from April 13 at 07.00 WIB to April 14 at 07.00 WIB. The disasters that occurred were dominated by wet hydrometeorology such as floods and strong winds, as well as dry hydrometeorology in the form of forest and land fires (karhutla).

Head of the BNPB Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center, Abdul Muhari, said that the trend of forest fires in Riau Province showed an increase in the affected area.

"The development of forest and land fires in Riau Province shows an increase in the area affected. As of April 13, 2026, the area burned was recorded at around 3,456.23 hectares, with an increase of around 4 hectares from the previous data," said Abdul Muhari in his statement, Tuesday, April 14.

BNPB ensures that the emergency alert status for karhutla in the region is still in effect. A number of handling efforts are still being carried out, including assistance for weather modification operations (OMC).

On the other hand, flooding occurred in a number of areas. In Grobogan Regency, Central Java, flooding was triggered by the overflow of the Lusi River after heavy rain hit the upstream area. This event affected 475 families with the number of affected houses reaching 475 units.

The affected areas are spread across Karanganyar Village and Purwodadi Village in Purwodadi District, Jono Village in Tawangharjo District, Boloh Village in Toroh District, Monggot Village in Geyer District, and Mojorebo Village in Wirosari District. As of Monday, April 13, the flood conditions were reported to have gradually receded.

Flooding also occurred in Tapin Regency, South Kalimantan, on Monday, April 13. A total of 230 families or 832 people were affected, with a total of 230 houses submerged.

Flooding occurred in Sawang Village, Rumintin Village, and Tambaranang Village, South Tapin District. The latest condition shows that the water is starting to recede.

In addition to flooding, strong winds also hit two areas. In East Lampung Regency, strong winds affected 16 families in Sukadana Ilir Village, Sukadana District, with a total of 16 affected houses.

Meanwhile, in Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan, strong winds affected 40 people from 15 families and damaged 15 houses. This incident occurred in Sungai Batang Village and Tangkas Village, West Martapura District.

"In addition to damage to houses, a number of trees fell in three points which caused road access to be hampered," he said.

The BPBD team together with related agencies has reopened access and the situation has been declared under control.

BNPB also reminded that the potential for disasters is still high in the next few days. Based on the forecast of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), light to moderate rain accompanied by lightning and strong winds are still potentially occurring in the Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, and Sulawesi regions.

"This condition has the potential to trigger wet hydrometeorological disasters such as floods, landslides, and strong winds, especially in areas with unstable soil conditions and poor drainage systems," said Abdul Muhari.

Meanwhile, fire-prone areas such as Riau and parts of Kalimantan are expected to experience hot weather with low rainfall, thus increasing the risk of fire.

BNPB appealed to the public and local governments to increase preparedness and mitigation measures to minimize the impact of disasters.

"For potential flooding and landslides, the public is expected to routinely clean the water channels, not throw away garbage carelessly, and increase vigilance during heavy rain," he said.

Regarding strong winds, the public is urged to cut down branches of trees that are potentially falling and strengthen the structure of the roof of the house.

"Meanwhile, in the face of the potential for forest fires, people in vulnerable areas are asked not to open land by burning, increasing self-patrol, and immediately reporting if a fire point is found," he added.