BNPB: Forest Fires and Drought Dominate Disasters This Week
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has revealed that drought, as well as forest and land fires (karhutla), have dominated the disasters occurring over the past few days, based on the agency’s latest monitoring update.
BNPB stated that a forest and land fire in West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, was successfully extinguished on Thursday. The hotspot was first detected on Wednesday at 14:18 Central Indonesia Time. The disaster resulted in 25 hectares of land being burned in Labuan Bajo Sub-district, Komodo District. The local Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) reported no casualties from the incident.
A forest and land fire also occurred in Bontang City, East Kalimantan Province, on Wednesday. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The affected location was in Satimpo Sub-district, South Bontang District. The total burned area reached 4.37 hectares. The fire was successfully extinguished by a joint task force on Thursday.
“BNPB is monitoring a series of hydrometeorological disasters that still dominate several events in a number of regions, including forest and land fires and drought,” said the Head of the BNPB Data, Information, and Communication Centre, Abdul Muhari, in a statement on Friday.
Abdul stated that to date, a number of regions continue to maintain preparedness and response measures to anticipate the impacts of forest and land fires. Regarding the drought, several regional BPBDs are carrying out short-term responses, such as distributing clean water to areas where residents need water supplies.
“Several regions facing drought disasters that have been reported to the BNPB include Pemalang Regency, Central Java Province. Four sub-districts are affected, with a population of 4,397 families,” said Abdul.
In addition, 616 families or 967 individuals in three sub-districts of Sukoharjo Regency, Central Java, require clean water support. As of Thursday, the local BPBD had distributed five tanks or 25,000 litres of clean water.
Furthermore, Klaten Regency is also affected by a similar disaster. The local BPBD reported that four villages in one sub-district need water supplies due to the drought. The four affected villages are Kendalsari, Tegalmulyo, Tlogowatu, and Sidorejo, all located in Kemajang District. A total of 3,272 families or 10,685 individuals are feeling the impact of this phenomenon. From 15 June to 16 July 2026, total water distribution reached more than 1.3 million litres.
Drought has also hit several villages in Purbalingga Regency, Central Java. Five villages in two sub-districts, with a population of 1,758 people, are affected by this disaster. The drought was first reported on 19 June 2026 and is still ongoing. The affected sub-districts are Karangreja and Kejobong. On Thursday, the local BPBD sent 30,000 litres of water to Pandansari Village, Kejobong District.
Furthermore, 28 villages in 15 sub-districts of Bogor Regency, West Java, are affected by drought. The local BPBD recorded that 2,016 families or 39,768 individuals need clean water assistance. The Bogor Regency BPBD has sent clean water to several sub-districts. On Thursday, 30,000 litres were distributed to four sub-districts: Leuwisadeng, Jonggol, Dramaga, and Tanjungsari.
“Responding to the threat of forest and land fires and drought, BNPB urges local governments and the public to remain alert and prepared,” said Abdul.
In facing forest and land fires, Abdul stressed that prevention is the most effective handling measure. The involvement of various parties is key to joint risk reduction. Meanwhile, in facing the drought disaster, residents are expected to be wise in utilising water availability.
“If it rains, residents can harvest the water as a reserve to meet daily needs,” said Abdul.