Government Tackles 107,000-hectare Forest Fire

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago during a press conference at the Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs, Central Jakarta, Monday, August 10, 2026 (ANTARA/Walda Marison)

JAKARTA - The government is currently dealing with forest and land fires (karhutla) that have hit an area of 107,000 hectares in a number of regions in Indonesia.

Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago said the forest fire was triggered by drought and the ongoing El Nino phenomenon.

"We are facing a strong El Nino, which has been in effect and has started to take effect now until the beginning of September or the beginning of October in the coming," said Djamari as quoted by ANTARA, Monday, August 10.

Djamari said the area that burned an area of 107,000 hectares was spread across a number of areas that were classified as vulnerable and not vulnerable to forest fires.

Six provinces that fall into the category of prone to forest fires, namely Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Riau.

To handle the fire, the government has deployed planes and helicopters to carry out the fire from the air.

"We have deployed around 43 helicopters to date, plus fixed-wing can also be between 10 and 15 according to needs," said Djamari.

In addition to the blackout from the air, the government is handling it on land using flexible tanks or temporary water storage devices.

The tool is used by officers to collect large amounts of water before being channeled to the affected areas.

Djamari said the government also strengthened coordination with local governments and related institutions to ensure that the handling of karhutla ran optimally.

With these various efforts, Djamari believes that the fire points in the affected areas of the forest fire can be extinguished in the near future.