Banjar Regency Strengthens Forest Fire Prevention Ahead of 2026 Dry Season

The Government of Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan, is strengthening measures to prevent forest and land fires ahead of the peak of the 2026 dry season by intensifying cross-agency coordination, public education, and deploying personnel and command posts in vulnerable areas. The effort was discussed during a Forest and Land Fire Disaster Management Coordination Meeting held by the Banjar Regency Regional Disaster Management Agency at the DPRKPLH Office Hall in Martapura, as a follow-up to the South Kalimantan Governor’s Instruction to increase regional preparedness. Banjar Regency Regional Secretary H Yudi Andrea stated in Martapura on Saturday that prevention is the main strategy, given that the potential for forest and land fires is expected to increase with forecasts of a drier dry season from July to September 2026. “The Banjar Regency Government asserts that prevention efforts must be the top priority involving all elements of society,” said Yudi Andrea. According to data from the Banjar BPBD Operations Control Centre, 61 forest and land fire incidents were recorded throughout 2025, scorching more than 189 hectares of land. Meanwhile, from January to June 2026, five incidents have occurred with an affected area reaching 39.8 hectares, accompanied by the emergence of 20 hotspots. “The regional government also requests sub-district heads, village chiefs, and neighbourhood heads to continuously educate the public not to clear land by burning. In addition, professional law enforcement will continue to be carried out against violators who trigger fires,” he said. Meanwhile, Banjar Regency BPBD Chief Executive Wasis Nugraha said all personnel, equipment, and resources from BPBD, the Indonesian National Armed Forces, the Indonesian National Police, volunteers, and related agencies have been placed on standby to face the potential for forest and land fires during the dry season. In addition to activating the Main Command Post at BPBD, the regional government has also prepared the Martapura Barat Post and the Cintapuri Darussalam Post to accelerate response in the event of fires or drought disasters. He added that BPBD has also distributed clean water aid and water tanks to several affected areas, such as the Berutung Baru Islamic Boarding School and Tatah Makmur District.