BNPB scales up forest and land fire response beyond six priority provinces
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) is continuing to scale up its response to forest and land fires (karhutla) across various parts of Indonesia, including regions beyond the six priority provinces of Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan.
Berton SP Panjaitan, Acting Head of BNPB’s Disaster Data, Information and Communication Centre, told an online press conference in Jakarta on Tuesday that the anticipatory measures were taken to curb wider disaster impacts, particularly in light of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency’s (BMKG) predictions on the spread of dense air pollution.
“We can see that smoke points are thickening in several locations, so we urge everyone to remain vigilant and wise in anticipating pollutants dispersed in the air,” he said.
Berton explained that the current karhutla response operations are also targeting areas such as Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park and Mount Butak in East Java. Operations in these areas are supported by the deployment of one water-bombing helicopter.
Similar firefighting efforts are being carried out intensively by joint teams at various locations, ranging from North Maluku, Central Java, North Kalimantan, and Central Sulawesi, to Lampung and Southeast Sulawesi.
“Reinforcement and expansion of task force personnel are currently underway in the field, along with the accelerated mobilisation of equipment and facilities by strictly prohibiting the stockpiling of firefighting equipment in warehouses, and the organisation and standardisation of karhutla data publication through separating hotspot data — whether satellite heat points or actual fire points,” he said.
Berton said the central government is also continuously encouraging regional governments to implement Presidential Instruction Number 11 of 2026, which provides for strengthening the enforcement of the ban on land clearing by burning for long-term environmental sustainability.
Facing the potential spread of smoke haze, Berton stated that BNPB continually reminds communities in affected areas to be disciplined in wearing masks when undertaking outdoor activities to protect their respiratory health.
He said collaboration and collective awareness from the public are greatly needed to end the karhutla disaster, such as by not carelessly discarding cigarette butts and ensuring that campfire embers are fully extinguished when camping.
“Please contact BNPB immediately through our call centre at 117, or the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) or relevant agencies when you see fire points, potential fires, or other emergencies in your surroundings, so that a response can be carried out immediately,” said Berton Panjaitan.