Forest Fire Minister Raja Juli Reports Rising Hotspots in West Kalimantan

The Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, stated that the trend of forest and land fire (karhutla) hotspots in West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan has increased again after previously declining, making both provinces the primary priorities for handling.

“After all six priority provinces showed a downward trend yesterday, today West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan are showing an increase in hotspots once again. This means that the national primary priorities remain West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan,” said Minister Raja Antoni in a statement received in Jakarta on Wednesday, 2 September 2026.

After inspecting forest fires in Jambi today, Minister Raja Antoni stated that he and the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Lieutenant General Suharyanto, will travel to Pontianak to strengthen coordination with all stakeholders in West Kalimantan, including the Governor, Regional Police Chief, and Regional Military Commander.

“Therefore, tomorrow we are going to Pontianak to meet with all stakeholders—the Governor, Police Chief, and Military Commander—to regroup, conduct evaluations, and formulate mitigation plans,” the Minister added.

This coordination aims to encourage a reduction in the number of hotspots and verified fire spots.

Minister Raja Juli reminded that forest fire management still requires collective vigilance. He noted that the peak of El Niño is expected this September, necessitating cooperation from various parties in the prevention and management of forest fires.

Based on data from the Ministry of Forestry’s Sipongi system as of 1 September 2026, hotspots in West Kalimantan rose from 273 to 859, and Central Kalimantan from 253 to 623. South Sumatra increased from 20 to 89, South Kalimantan from 22 to 73, Riau remained at 0, while Jambi rose from 0 to 4 hotspots.