East Kalimantan declares forest and land fire alert status amid extreme weather
The Provincial Government of East Kalimantan has officially declared a Disaster Alert status following a surge in forest and land fire (karhutla) cases caused by extreme hot weather in the region.
“The public and corporate parties are strongly urged to increase vigilance, especially not to clear land by burning,” said East Kalimantan Deputy Governor Seno Aji in Samarinda on Monday.
Seno revealed that joint teams from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), and the Indonesian National Police (Polri) continue to move quickly to extinguish fires on the ground, so the current situation is still considered manageable.
“The current status is Disaster Alert, not yet raised to Emergency Alert. Many hotspots have been detected, but most have been successfully extinguished by officers in the field,” said Seno Aji after leading the Coordination Meeting on Forest and Land Fire Anticipation and Weather Modification Operations (OMC) of the East Kalimantan Provincial Government at the Governor’s Office.
To reduce the risk of drought and widespread fires due to the El Niño phenomenon, the East Kalimantan Provincial Government has asked district and city governments in vulnerable zones to immediately submit requests for OMC or artificial rain to the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).
This weather modification technology was previously considered successful in triggering rain in the Nusantara Capital City (IKN) area and extending to the Kutai Kartanegara region.
On the other hand, he continued, the government has emphasised that there is no tolerance for perpetrators of land burning, whether individuals or corporations, and strict law enforcement measures are ready to be imposed to provide a deterrent effect.
“Criminal sanctions are already waiting. There have been perpetrators of burning who have been arrested and processed by law. We remind residents and companies not to start fires carelessly,” the Deputy Governor stressed.
Based on the latest data from the East Kalimantan BPBD Operations Control Centre as of Saturday (22/8), there has been a drastic surge in forest and land fire cases triggered by the peak of the dry season.
Throughout the period from January to 22 August 2026, the total accumulated forest and land fires in East Kalimantan reached 430 incidents with a total burned area of 1,260.92 hectares.
Statistical data shows that the majority of fires occurred massively within a period of less than a month in August.
In the January–July 2026 period, 124 incidents were recorded with a relatively small burned area, but from 1–22 August 2026 it jumped sharply to 306 incidents with a burned area reaching 1,027.94 hectares due to the extremely dry climate.
Maps of fire distribution and fire-prone areas have been reported appearing in various parts of the region, burning shrubs, open land, and areas close to community activities.
The East Kalimantan BPBD has recorded several areas that are of primary concern due to high vulnerability levels.
Kutai Kartanegara Regency (Kukar) is the area with the largest burned land area, reaching 369.88 hectares from 47 incidents, of which around 182 hectares are community-owned areas.
Meanwhile, Paser Regency is the area with the highest distribution of forest and land fire hotspots, reaching 105 fire points, followed by West Kutai with 71 fire points, and Samarinda City recording 69 fire points.
The threat of forest and land fires in Samarinda shows that fire risk no longer only threatens inland or forest areas, but has begun to threaten urban areas amid dry weather conditions.
In addition to these areas, Berau and East Kutai Regencies are also on the main monitoring radar for forest and land fire handling this year.