Barito Utara Regency Declares Emergency Response for Forest and Land Fires until 2 October
Prevention must be the top priority in handling forest and land fires (karhutla). While rapid response is essential when fires occur, efforts to prevent the emergence of hotspots are far more effective.
Muara Teweh (ANTARA) - The Barito Utara Regency Government, Central Kalimantan, has increased its status to an emergency response for forest and land fires, effective from 18 September to 2 October 2026.
“This change in status must be understood as part of our efforts to strengthen preparedness and vigilance. Although the emergency conditions may gradually improve, the potential for forest and land fires must still be anticipated,” said the Regent of Barito Utara, Shalahuddin, in Muara Teweh on Friday.
According to Shalahuddin, the transition from alert status to emergency response should be viewed as a way to bolster the readiness and alertness of all parties regarding the potential for forest and land fires.
Various factors that can trigger or expand fires must be a shared concern, including weather conditions and rainfall, the level of vegetation and land drought, fire-prone hotspots, and community activities that could potentially create fire sources.
Shalahuddin requested all relevant agencies to continue conducting monitoring, early detection, prevention, and rapid, coordinated handling.
“Every piece of information regarding the potential or occurrence of forest and land fires must be acted upon immediately, so that fires can be controlled as early as possible and do not develop into larger conflagrations,” he said.
The Regent also emphasised the importance of ensuring that all resources owned by the local government and related elements are in a state of readiness to be deployed whenever necessary.
The Regent of Barito Utara explained that the threat of forest and land fires in the region is receiving serious attention from the local government. This situation requires increased anticipation following forecasts from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) regarding the El Niño phenomenon, which is expected to persist until early 2027.
All regional agencies and related parties must increase their preparedness to face the potential for forest and land fires, especially amidst weather conditions that tend to be dry.
“We must increase our vigilance and preparedness. We must not wait until the fire has grown large before we act. Prevention, early detection, and rapid response must be a collective focus,” said Regent Shalahuddin.