Forestry Minister strengthens coordination and mitigation of forest fire potential amid El Nino
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has affirmed that the government is strengthening coordination in efforts to mitigate the potential spread of forest and land fires amid the increasingly strong El Nino phenomenon.
“Vigilance from all parties is important to prevent forest and land fires, especially when this year’s climate conditions are potentially drier and hotter than the normal period,” the minister said during a working meeting with Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives at the Parliament Complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Tuesday.
Raja Antoni further reminded that this year’s El Nino threat bears similarities to the El Nino phenomenon of 2015.
He said the government continues to monitor climate developments together with the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), including to anticipate its impact on the potential for forest and land fires.
“As of today it is higher than 2015. This is data from BMKG, with whom we always coordinate. Until this morning I continued to coordinate with BMKG,” he said.
Based on BMKG data, the current El Nino is at a very strong intensity with the Nino 3.4 index reaching +2.19. This condition indicates that sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean are warmer than normal and could potentially cause reduced rainfall in Indonesia.
The threat is likely to increase further because the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) is predicted to enter a positive phase in September-November 2026, which could further reduce rainfall in several regions of Indonesia.
According to the minister, the El Nino phenomenon arriving earlier has made weather conditions hotter and drier and lasting longer.
This situation increases the potential for forest and land fires and raises the risk of smoke.
The minister said that smoke distribution imagery on 16 August 2026 at 13.00 WIB showed smoke detected in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and South Papua.
In addition, Forestry Minister Raja Antoni reminded the public and corporations not to burn land during hot and dry weather conditions.
He also asked the public to increase vigilance against even the smallest fire sources, including not discarding cigarette butts carelessly.
“Do not burn land. The public and corporations must both be vigilant. Even cigarette butts should not be thrown away carelessly, because in dry conditions like this they can become a source of fire,” he said.