A member of the House of Representatives (DPR) from Central\nKalimantan, Bambang Purwanto, has expressed concern about the ability of\nregional governments to handle forest and land fires (karhutla),\nparticularly from a budgetary perspective amid ongoing spending\ncuts.<\/p>\n
The member of House Commission IV from the Central Kalimantan\nelectoral district urged the central government to step in immediately\nby providing budget support to strengthen karhutla prevention and\nresponse efforts.<\/p>\n
According to Bambang, regional fiscal constraints are one of the\nobstacles to mobilising personnel and integrated teams optimally in the\nfield. It was previously reported that in Kalimantan, field officers\nhave even had to use their own personal funds to fight karhutla.<\/p>\n
\u201cRegions are indeed not as aggressive as before in handling karhutla\ndue to limited budgets. Let alone dealing with karhutla, even paying\nPPPK (government contract workers) is difficult,\u201d Bambang said on Monday\n(31\/8), as quoted by detikKalimantan.<\/p>\n
Karhutla remains widespread in Central Kalimantan. By the end of\nAugust 2026, the total burned area had reached 7,634.46 hectares.<\/p>\n
The scale of the burned area has raised concerns that karhutla\nresponse efforts will not be optimal if they rely solely on regional\ngovernment budget capacity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe region\u2019s hope is certainly central government support, not only\nequipment but also funding support to mobilise integrated teams in the\nregions. This is given the limited funds available to the regions,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
According to Bambang, regions also need operational funding so that\nkarhutla response teams can move quickly and sustainably.<\/p>\n
\u201cCentral Kalimantan itself has declared a karhutla emergency status\nthrough a gubernatorial decree since 25 May 2026. This condition should\nserve as a signal for the central government to accelerate support to\nthe regions,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Central Kalimantan provincial government has stated\nthat karhutla response efforts are still ongoing, including in the\nTumbang Nusa area of Pulang Pisau Regency, which flared up again on\nSunday night (30\/8).<\/p>\n
The Head of the Central Kalimantan Disaster Management and Fire\nService (BPBPK), Ahmad Toyib, said in Palangka Raya on Monday that the\nfire which flared up again on Sunday night was a continuation of a\npreviously active hotspot.<\/p>\n
\u201cTumbang Nusa is indeed one of our concerns. Last night\u2019s incident\nwas a continuation of the previous fire position which was already\nburning,\u201d he said, as quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
He explained that firefighting efforts at night faced obstacles due\nto limited deployment of ground forces. Terrain conditions and the risky\nlocation of the hotspots meant personnel could not be forced to approach\nthe fire source.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf ground forces go in close to the hotspot, it is risky for\npersonnel,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
In addition, visibility in Palangka Raya and surrounding areas has\ndeclined significantly over the past two days, hampering the\noptimisation of firefighting operations by air.<\/p>\n
\u201cVisibility in Palangka Raya and surrounding areas has fallen far\nbelow the usual standard. Optimisation of water bombing through the air\ntask force cannot be carried out optimally. The movement of the fire\nfront has become quite fast because it is supported by strong winds at\nthe location,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Under these conditions, ground forces are the main reliance for\npreventing the fire from spreading. However, personnel deployment must\nalso take into account fatigue after fighting fires from morning until\nevening.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, based on data from the Central Kalimantan Karhutla\nEmergency Response Command Post as of 30 August 2026, a total of 2,222\nkarhutla incidents were recorded, with a burned area of 6,358.71\nhectares. For Pulang Pisau Regency specifically, 54 karhutla incidents\nwere recorded with a burned area of 378.88 hectares.<\/p>\n
At the central government level, the Ministry of Environment (KLH)\nhas confirmed that karhutla response efforts in Kalimantan and Sumatra\ncontinue to be carried out intensively to prevent transboundary\nhaze.<\/p>\n
The Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement at KLH\/Environmental\nControl Agency (BPLH), Rizal Irawan, stated that karhutla response is\nbeing carried out intensively through ground and air operations.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo date, some of our fellow citizens in Kalimantan and Sumatra are\nfacing forest and land fires, as well as declining air quality. Air\noperations involve dozens of helicopters and aircraft deployed for water\nbombing and weather modification, while ground operations are supported\nby thousands of joint personnel on 24-hour standby at vulnerable\npoints,\u201d Rizal Irawan said in his statement on Monday, as quoted by\nAntara.<\/p>\n
In addition to domestic firefighting efforts, response measures also\nextend to the regional level to prevent a cross-border haze crisis.<\/p>\n
These integrated measures demonstrate the government\u2019s commitment not\nonly to tackling karhutla at the local level but also to maintaining\nregional air quality stability.<\/p>\n
Through synergy between field operations and cross-border monitoring,\nit is hoped that the potential for a haze crisis can be suppressed as\nearly as possible to protect public health and environmental\nsustainability.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thin-budgets-lawmaker-worries-regions-cannot-tackle-forest-and-land-fires-1788162757", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }