BNPB Chief Apologises for Calling Kalimantan Haze Situation 'Normal'
BNPB Chief Apologizes for Calling Kalimantan Haze Situation ‘Normal’
Reporter
September 25, 2026 | 11:50 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia’s disaster agency chief Suharyanto has apologized for saying that “the wheels of people’s lives are running normally” amid forest fires and haze in Kalimantan. He said the remark was not intended to downplay the impact on affected communities.
Suharyanto, who heads the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), made the clarification Friday after his statement during a limited meeting on Wednesday drew concern over how the situation was being characterized.
“I understand that the use of the word ‘normal’ could create the perception that communities have not been affected. For that, I need to clarify that the forest and land fires still require serious handling, and the government does not consider the issue resolved,” he said in a statement posted on his official Instagram account.
Suharyanto said he had used “normal” only to describe limited indicators of basic activities that were still operating, including road traffic, trade and public services.
He stressed that the remark was not intended to suggest that environmental conditions had returned to normal or to dismiss the difficulties faced by people affected by the fires and haze.
“And it was also not intended to diminish the fact that the quality of life of communities affected by the forest and land fires and haze has declined,” he said.
BNPB acknowledged that communities in several areas, particularly Central Kalimantan and West Kalimantan, were still facing serious impacts from the haze. Air quality, public health, education, flights and other activities have been affected in some areas.
Heavy haze in parts of Central and West Kalimantan has also disrupted commercial flights and aerial operations to tackle the fires, according to BNPB.
Suharyanto said the continued operation of basic services and daily activities was only one indicator of conditions on the ground, while safety, public health, air quality and efforts to contain the fires remained government priorities.
“If the choice of words I used in the report was seen as giving the impression that the government considered the situation of communities amid the haze disaster to be business as usual, that was not what I meant,” he said.
Suharyanto said BNPB was continuing to work with ministries and agencies, local governments, the military, police, Manggala Agni firefighters, volunteers and other groups to extinguish fires, address health impacts and protect communities.
The agency is also working to improve and integrate data from different teams in the field so that information provided to President Prabowo Subianto and the public more accurately reflects conditions on the ground.
“The safety, health and quality of life of affected communities have always been our top priorities,” Suharyanto said.
Read: Prabowo Deploys 1,000 Officers for Forest Fire Prevention Education
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