Forest and Land Fire Minister: Firefighting efforts continue as hotspots decline

The Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, has emphasised the importance of continuous management by relevant stakeholders, regardless of the declining trend in the number of national forest and land fire (karhutla) hotspots.

“Nationally, I want to report to the Indonesian people that, once again, our condition is not yet safe from forest fires, although the national trend is improving and declining,” said Minister Raja Antoni in a statement received in Jakarta on Monday.

Based on daily hotspot trend data for six priority provinces between 2<0xC2><0xA0>August and 30 August 2026, hotspots in Central Kalimantan dropped from 1,116 to 308 points, a decrease of 72.4 per cent. Furthermore, West Kalimantan decreased from 899 to 455 points (49.4 per cent), South Kalimantan from 108 to 18 points (83.3 per cent), and Riau from 3 to 0 points (100 per cent).

Meanwhile, hotspots in South Sumatra during the same period were recorded to have risen from 37 to 39 points, while in Jambi, hotspots increased from 1 to 2 points.

The Minister noted that daily hotspot data for South Sumatra over the last five days has continued to fluctuate, recording 62 points on 26 August, 157 points on 27 August, 81 points on 28 August, 37 points on 29 August, and 39 points on 30 August.

Minister Raja Antoni warned that the decline in hotspots does not mean the issue of smoke has been resolved, particularly in peatland areas. He stated that intensive cooling and wetting are necessary because fire points can still re-emerge.

“Once again, these hotspots do not signify that there is no smoke, because by the nature of peatlands, even if there is no active fire, smoke is always present,” said the Minister.

“If intensive cooling and wetting are not carried out repeatedly, there remains a potential for these to become fire spots again,” he continued.

Minister Raja Antoni reaffirmed that the government is continuing to tackle forest and land fires, while simultaneously calling on all elements of society to play their part amidst the conditions of a very strong El Niño.

“We hope for the cooperation of all parties, from the community and village heads to all elements of society, to participate together in resolving this issue,” concluded Raja Antoni.