Activist Testimony: Forest Fire Sources Suspected from Land Clearing
Environmental activist Chanee Kalaweit has shared his testimony from aerial monitoring of forest and land fires (karhutla) in Kalimantan. From his aerial investigation, he identified points where land clearing for oil palm plantations or mining is suspected to be the origin of the fires. The aerial footage was shared by Kalaweit through his social media account.
“The reality on the ground often stems from illegal gold mines because they burn land around their mines to expand them, and illegal gold mines are rampant everywhere. We clearly see a connection with the gold mines, if not with the oil palm plantations,” Chanee said when contacted by CNNIndonesia.com on Friday evening (21/8).
He, who is also known as an activist for wild animals, particularly primates, said that in North Barito Regency, fires are almost always found near or adjacent to oil palm plantation areas.
“As I said earlier, some areas are cut down first and then burned, and then the fire spreads everywhere. And once again it will be said, ‘Oh, it is not the company, it is the community,’ but the scheme I explained is what happens,” he said.
Previously, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo stated that his office had identified several names suspected of being linked to the causes of forest and land fires in Kalimantan. He said the findings came from investigations related to recent forest fire incidents.
“We are conducting inquiries and investigations related to the events that occurred. Several names have been secured,” he told reporters on Friday (21/8).
Listyo also said he had instructed all ranks to continue extinguishing the burning forest areas. “Currently we are carrying out fire suppression,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Environment has issued urgent instructions to six governors in Sumatra and Kalimantan to tighten handling. In a statement titled “Responding to the Decline in Air Quality and the Threat of Forest and Land Fires in the 2026 Dry Season” received in Jakarta on Friday (21/8), Minister of Environment Jumhur Hidayat focused on protecting public safety in Riau, South Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, Jambi, and South Kalimantan in the urgent instruction message.
The strong El Niño phenomenon affecting Indonesia since July 2026 is considered the main trigger for the surge in forest fire vulnerability, leading to a significant decline in air quality in several regions. The Ministry of Environment reported that the latest monitoring data recorded PM2.5 concentrations in Kampar (Riau) reaching 48.84 micrograms per cubic metre, Ogan Ilir (South Sumatra) 47.39 micrograms per cubic metre, Katingan (Central Kalimantan) 30.16 micrograms per cubic metre, Jambi City 26.18 micrograms per cubic metre, Pontianak (West Kalimantan) 26.41 micrograms per cubic metre, and Banjarmasin (South Kalimantan) 17.40 micrograms per cubic metre.