From Forest Fires to Waste Processing, Central Kalimantan Promotes Response Measures and Sustainable Development
The Central Kalimantan Provincial Government is continuing to strengthen disaster response, improve public services and develop infrastructure that supports environmental sustainability.
These efforts include responding to forest and land fires in West Kotawaringin Regency, supporting the digital transformation of land services, and pushing for the completion of a waste-processing facility that converts refuse into alternative fuel.
Central Kalimantan Governor Agustiar Sabran went in person to assist with efforts to tackle forest and land fires along the Pangkalan Bun–Kotawaringin Lama road in West Kotawaringin Regency on Thursday afternoon, 8 October 2026.
After spotting a fire, Agustiar urged his officials to speed up the response in coordination with personnel and volunteers.
“I have instructed that heavy equipment be deployed to create canals or waterways around the site of the fire to support firefighting and contain the flames,” Agustiar said.
“Get an excavator here immediately and make canals or waterways around the site to support the firefighting effort,” he added.
Before visiting the site, Agustiar attended a coordination meeting on forest and land-fire response in West Kotawaringin. At the meeting, the local government set out its need for additional equipment, including thermal drones, KN95 masks, three-wheeled motorbikes and protective glasses.
Agustiar said the requests had been noted and would be followed up by the provincial and regency governments according to their respective responsibilities.
According to a report by the Central Kalimantan Forest and Land-Fire Emergency Response Command Post as of 8 October 2026, there had been 5,937 fires, burning a total area of 17,530.18 hectares. West Kotawaringin recorded 377 fires, affecting 2,558.72 hectares.
The scale of the fires presents local governments with the challenge of improving coordination, speeding up the deployment of equipment and infrastructure, and ensuring the safety of personnel and volunteers in the field.
“We have noted this and will follow it up promptly. We will determine which needs can be met by the provincial government and which can be handled by the regency government,” Agustiar said.
In the area of public services, the provincial government reiterated its support for greater professionalism and the digital transformation of land services. The commitment was announced at the 39th anniversary of the Indonesian Association of Land Deed Officials (IPPAT), held alongside a seminar on implementing the BPN Partner System in the digital era.
The event took place at the Swiss-Belhotel Danum in Palangka Raya on Friday, 9 October 2026. Central Kalimantan Regional Secretary Linae Victoria Aden attended on behalf of Governor Agustiar Sabran.
In the governor’s remarks, delivered by Linae, IPPAT was urged to strengthen its integrity and professionalism to support legal certainty in land matters and provide orderly, transparent and high-quality services to the public.
“May IPPAT continue to improve its professionalism and integrity in supporting legal certainty in land matters and delivering orderly, transparent and high-quality services to the public,” Linae said.
She said the Central Kalimantan Provincial Government supported the implementation of Agrarian Reform through the Agrarian Reform Task Force (GTRA), with the aim of improving public welfare.
“The success of Agrarian Reform is measured not only by land legalisation and redistribution, but also by the benefits people experience. Coordination among stakeholders therefore needs to be strengthened to ensure effective implementation,” Linae said.
The provincial government and the regional legislative council (DPRD) are also supporting the drafting of a regional regulation to help address land disputes and conflicts and protect the rights of local communities.
The BPN Partner System is expected to facilitate electronic checks, deed reporting and registration of transfers of land rights. Digitalisation is also expected to speed up services and improve transparency, without compromising accuracy or legal certainty.
Representatives of the Central Kalimantan Regional Office of the National Land Agency (BPN) stressed that digitalisation does not alter the status or authority of Land Deed Officials (PPAT) as public officials authorised to draw up authentic deeds. Account security, consistency between digital and physical documents, timely reporting and geotagging that accurately reflects conditions on the ground must all be maintained.
The digital transformation is therefore expected to go hand in hand with stronger integrity, accountability and legal protection for the public.
Meanwhile, the Central Kalimantan DPRD is urging the completion of a refuse-derived fuel (RDF) waste-processing facility at the Translik Final Processing Site (TPA) in Pasir Panjang village, West Kotawaringin Regency.
The call was made during a working visit with the West Kotawaringin Environmental Agency (DLH) on Friday, 9 October 2026, to inspect the site and review construction progress. The facility is being funded through a 2025 grant programme from the provincial government.
West Kotawaringin Environmental Agency head Syahyani said the first-phase building and the RDF facility’s main equipment and machinery had been installed. However, the plant cannot yet operate optimally because several requirements remain outstanding.
These include completing the second-phase building, providing an adequate electricity supply and constructing an operational access road for waste-collection vehicles.
Syahyani said she hoped further funding would be released soon so construction could be completed, with the facility targeted to be fully operational in 2027.
“Overall, the first-phase building and the RDF’s main equipment and machinery have been installed. However, several needs remain, particularly completion of the second-phase building, sufficient electricity capacity and an operational access road,” Syahyani said.
Around 100 tonnes of waste arrive at the Translik site each day, she said. Once the RDF facility is operating, incoming waste can be sorted and processed into alternative fuel, significantly reducing the volume sent to landfill.
Rusdi Gozali Efendi, a Central Kalimantan DPRD member representing the West Kotawaringin constituency, asked the local Environmental Agency to submit a proposal for further funding to the governor, copying in the provincial DPRD.
The formal proposal is needed so that the remaining construction requirements can be considered and pursued through the revised 2026 regional budget or the original 2027 regional budget.
“The completion of the RDF facility is expected to improve the effectiveness of waste management and help reduce the accumulation of waste in West Kotawaringin,” Rusdi said.
The response to forest and land fires, improvements to land services and completion of the RDF facility are three separate agendas, but all require inter-agency coordination, support for equipment and infrastructure, and sustainable budget planning.
A faster response to fires is needed to contain them and reduce their environmental impact. Meanwhile, digital land services are expected to strengthen transparency and legal certainty, while the RDF facility could form part of a more effective approach to waste management.
Through cooperation between the provincial and regency governments, the DPRD and relevant agencies, these efforts are expected to deliver tangible benefits to the public and support more orderly and sustainable development in Central Kalimantan.