Forest and Land Fires Erupt in Central Kalimantan, BNPB Deploys Helicopter for Water Bombing

Forest and land fires (karhutla) have occurred in East Kotawaringin Regency, Central Kalimantan. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) is conducting firefighting operations using a helicopter. The BNPB deployed a water-bombing helicopter to help extinguish hotspots that are difficult for ground personnel to reach. The first aerial operation was carried out on Tuesday (7/7) at around 13.10 WIB in the area of Eka Bahurui Village, Mentawa Baru Ketapang District. This measure was taken because land fires in East Kotawaringin have increased significantly over the past week. ‘In the past week, karhutla incidents in East Kotawaringin Regency have been quite numerous. Some we could handle through ground operations, but others required air support. Therefore, we requested water-bombing helicopter assistance from the Central Kalimantan Provincial Karhutla Disaster Management Post, and since Tuesday afternoon, firefighting using the helicopter has commenced,’ said the Head of the East Kotawaringin Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Multazam, on Wednesday (8/7/2026). He hopes the water drops from the air can prevent the fire from spreading further. Besides Eka Bahurui Village, land fires have also occurred in the Tjilik Riwut Road area, specifically around the take-off and landing path of H. Asan Sampit Airport. This situation is considered to have the potential to disrupt flight activities if the smoke becomes thicker. Meanwhile, ground firefighting efforts at that location are also facing obstacles due to a lack of water sources.