The season has yet to peak, but its fingerprints are already visible.\nSoil moisture is falling, peatlands are drying, and rainfall has become\nincreasingly scarce in several regions.<\/p>\n
Forecasts point to what could be one of the lowest precipitation\nlevels in three decades, extending the dry spell while intensifying\npressure on forests and peat ecosystems.<\/p>\n
The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) expects the\ndry season to expand from mid-year and peak between July and September\n2026, when much of the country will enter its most fire-prone phase.<\/p>\n
Prolonged dryness allows heat to build and moisture to dissipate,\ncreating conditions in which fires can ignite, spread, and persist more\neasily.<\/p>\n
In peat-rich areas, the threat often develops out of sight.\nVegetation withers, soils lose water, and peat begins to store heat\nbeneath the surface. Fires can smolder underground before erupting into\nfast-moving blazes that are difficult to contain and capable of crossing\nboundaries.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s risks reflect shifting climate patterns already visible\nsince early in the year when rainfall became less frequent than\nnormal.<\/p>\n
The challenge is no longer a routine dry season but a combination of\nextended drought and reduced precipitation that raises fire risks from\nthe outset, particularly in peatland regions.<\/p>\n
Six provinces remain at the center of concern: Riau, Jambi, South\nSumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan.<\/p>\n
What binds them is not geography alone, but the presence of vast\npeatlands that, once dry, become highly combustible. Fires here do not\nmerely burn on the surface; they travel underground, endure for long\nperiods, and often re-emerge when conditions allow.<\/p>\n
Early warning signs have already appeared. Regions such as Riau have\nbegun recording hotspots even before the dry season reaches its peak,\nunderscoring that Indonesia\u2019s forest fires are not random events but\nrecurring patterns shaped by climate cycles and land-use pressures.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, however, is not starting from scratch. In 2025, burned\nareas totaled about 213,984 hectares, down from 376,805 hectares a year\nearlier. The contrast is even starker with 2019, when fires consumed\nmore than 1.6 million hectares.<\/p>\n
Hotspot data tell a similar story. Around 2,705 hotspots were\nrecorded in 2025, down more than 90 percent from 29,341 in 2019. The\ngains reflect better governance, tighter monitoring, and stronger\ncommunity involvement, alongside peatland restoration and coordinated\npatrols in high-risk areas.<\/p>\n
Together, these shifts mark a move away from reactive firefighting\ntoward a more preventive, system-based approach.<\/p>\n
Yet success has raised the bar. As climate pressures intensify, past\ngains offer reassurance but no guarantee. The system must now prove\nitself under more extreme conditions.<\/p>\n
Prevention, enforcement, and consistency<\/p>\n
Indonesia\u2019s strategy is increasingly anchored in prevention as its\nfirst line of defense. Regional governments are being urged to declare\nemergency alert status early, allowing faster responses and quicker\nmobilization of central resources.<\/p>\n
The logic is simple. Many large fires begin as small, unmanaged\nhotspots. Provinces such as Riau and West Kalimantan have begun acting\nahead of worsening conditions, signaling a more anticipatory\nposture.<\/p>\n
In Riau, authorities are deploying weather modification to maintain\npeatland moisture, seeding clouds to induce rainfall before drought\nreaches critical levels. This reflects a shift from extinguishing fires\nto preventing them.<\/p>\n
West Kalimantan is focusing on intensive patrols, field monitoring,\nand stronger inter-agency coordination. Attention extends to early\nindicators such as peat water levels, as fire risks rise sharply when\ngroundwater drops below safe thresholds.<\/p>\n
A data-driven approach is increasingly replacing older, reactive\npractices.<\/p>\n
Still, technical measures alone are not enough without firm\nenforcement. Authorities are stepping up efforts to ensure\naccountability, particularly among companies, with several already\nfacing environmental disputes linked to land fires.<\/p>\n
The message is clear. Land burning is a violation that will be\npursued without compromise.<\/p>\n
Communities are also being positioned at the front line. Fire-aware\ngroups are being strengthened to detect hotspots early, especially in\nremote areas beyond the reach of formal monitoring. Their effectiveness,\nhowever, depends on sustained support, including training, equipment,\nand incentives.<\/p>\n
Indonesia\u2019s fire management now rests on three pillars: technology,\ncommunity engagement, and law enforcement. Together, they form a layered\ndefense designed to close gaps across a vast landscape.<\/p>\n
The challenge lies in consistency. Differences in regional capacity,\nlocal economic pressures, and sheer geographic scale can weaken\nimplementation. In extreme conditions, a single missed hotspot can\nescalate into a wider crisis.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s prolonged dry season is therefore more than a climatic\nevent. It is a test of how far Indonesia has come in confronting a\nrecurring threat. The country is no longer where it was a decade ago.\nIts approach is more mature, coordinated, and grounded in\nexperience.<\/p>\n
The gains of 2025 show that prevention can work, not just in theory\nbut in reducing fires and limiting their impact. As climate pressures\nmount, that foundation will be critical.<\/p>\n
Under increasingly cloudless skies, Indonesia\u2019s response is no longer\npurely reactive. It is evolving into a system capable of reading early\nsignals, acting faster, and containing fires before they spread.<\/p>\n
With clearer policy direction and stronger coordination, Indonesia is\nsignaling a shift. Forest fires are no longer merely an annual crisis\nbut a risk that can be managed, provided prevention remains at its\ncore.<\/p>\n
Related news: Ministry identifies seven peat hotspots highly prone to\nwildfires<\/p>\n
Related news: Battling wildfires on a remote and quiet frontier of\nNatuna<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/a-harsher-dry-season-tests-indonesias-fire-strategy-1777564447", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }