The threat of forest and land fires (karhutla) is once again looming\nover Indonesia in 2026 with the emergence of the extreme climate\nphenomenon dubbed Godzilla El Ni\u00f1o. The government is urging all\nstakeholders to enhance readiness from an early stage to prevent a\nrepeat of major disasters like those in 2015, 2019, and 2023.<\/p>\n
In the National Coordination Meeting for Karhutla Control 2026,\nMinister of Environment Hanif Faisol Nurofiq stressed that karhutla\nremains a serious issue with widespread impacts on ecosystems, public\nhealth, and the national economy.<\/p>\n
Previous El Ni\u00f1o events have been recorded as the main trigger for\nspikes in karhutla in Indonesia. During the periods of 2015, 2019, and\n2023, the area of fires increased significantly due to prolonged dry\nspells and increasingly dry land conditions.<\/p>\n
\u201c2026 faces the potential of the extreme Godzilla El Ni\u00f1o phenomenon,\nwhich could significantly heighten the risk of forest and land fires,\u201d\nHanif stated at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry office in South\nJakarta on Tuesday (7\/4).<\/p>\n
He explained that regions with peat ecosystems remain the most\nvulnerable points. Provinces such as Riau, Central Kalimantan, and West\nKalimantan, which have large peat areas, are at high risk of fires that\nare difficult to extinguish.<\/p>\n
Based on historical data, from 2015-2025, several regions like Riau\nand West Kalimantan have shown a tendency for increasing fire areas in\nrecent years. Meanwhile, other areas such as South Sumatra and Central\nKalimantan indicate a downward trend, though they remain susceptible\nduring El Ni\u00f1o occurrences.<\/p>\n
In addition to climate factors, the main causes of karhutla are still\ndominated by human activities, particularly land clearing by burning,\nunsustainable peat management, and negligence.<\/p>\n
To address this potential, the government is affirming a strategic\nshift from handling to prevention. Strengthened efforts include peatland\nrewetting, community education, zero-burn land management, and\nbolstering early detection systems.<\/p>\n
\u201cFurthermore, cross-agency coordination is being enhanced, involving\nthe National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the Meteorology,\nClimatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), TNI, Polri, local\ngovernments, business sectors, and communities,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
On the enforcement side, the government assures that it will continue\nto impose strict sanctions on perpetrators of forest and land burning,\nboth through criminal and administrative channels.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, Hanif acknowledged several ongoing challenges in\nkarhutla control, such as the difficulty of extinguishing fires in\npeatlands, high restoration costs, limited funding sources, and\nsuboptimal incentive mechanisms for regions that successfully keep their\nareas fire-free.<\/p>\n
\u201cTherefore, strengthening sustainable financing schemes, including\nfire-free village incentives, will be one of the focuses moving\nforward,\u201d he emphasised.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Agriculture is optimising the use of 80,158 water\npumps that have been distributed to farmer groups to anticipate\npotential drought due to the El Ni\u00f1o phenomenon.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/godzilla-el-nino-2026-on-the-horizon-government-on-alert-for-forest-and-land-fires-1775609609", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }