Garut Regency on High Alert for Mount Guntur Forest Fires After 13 Hectares Scorched
The Garut Regency Government in West Java is increasing its vigilance against potential forest and land fires in the Mount Guntur area, Pasawahan Village, Tarogong Kaler District. This step follows five fire incidents that have scorched approximately 13 hectares of land in the area during the dry season.
Garut Regent Abdusy Syakur Amin stated that the Mount Guntur area is one of the most vulnerable points requiring extra supervision. Although all fire incidents throughout July 2026 were successfully handled, the Garut Regency Government is still tightening monitoring in line with the Central Government’s directive to increase alertness during the prolonged dry season.
“Based on the report from the Garut Regency BPBD, 303 forest and land fire incidents were recorded, of which 285 have been handled, while 18 other incidents are still under monitoring. Specifically for land fires, 135 incidents were recorded due to the increasingly dry conditions of the dry season,” said Abdusy Syakur on Tuesday (11/8/2026).
Abdusy emphasised that handling forest and land fires and drought requires cross-sector collaboration, involving the TNI, Polri, the Natural Resources Conservation Agency, and Perhutani. Currently, the Garut Police and Military District Command have also been placed on standby to assist in providing water tanks to accelerate fire suppression if flames reappear.
In addition to natural factors, the habit of residents burning land carelessly is also a serious concern for the government. “The Garut Regency Government will soon issue a circular appealing to the public not to burn land carelessly, which could trigger large fires,” he added.
As an anticipatory measure against the impact of drought on the agricultural sector, the Garut Regency Government has distributed 98 water pump units to farmers. Additional pump assistance has also been placed on standby from the Military District Command to ensure water availability in productive food land is maintained. To date, fires have not spread to food land areas.
The Garut Regency Government has officially declared a state of alert for drought and forest and land fires effective from 1 July to 30 September 2026. To address the clean water crisis in residential areas, the BPBD has supplied 125,000 litres of water to eight villages and sub-districts spread across Tarogong Kaler, Pasirwangi, Cigedug, Cibatu, Sucinaraja, and Karangpawitan Districts.
“We have also submitted a request for 100 borehole points and additional water tanker fleets to the BNPB. Currently, the BPBD is ensuring that the handling of the water crisis and forest and land fires is still running optimally through coordination across regional apparatuses,” concluded Abdusy.