Ministry of Forestry: National Hotspots Decrease by 121 Points
The Ministry of Forestry has announced that high-confidence fire hotspots across the country have decreased to 5lag 567 points, representing a reduction of 121 points compared to the previous day. The Ministry emphasised that it will continue various operations to further reduce national hotspots.
According to its statement on Sunday (13/09/2026), the Ministry of Forestry revealed that high-confidence hotspot data was retrieved from the SiPongi system, sourced from NASA Terra/Aqua, SNPP, and NOAA-20 satellites.
As of Saturday (12/09/2026), the number of high-confidence hotspots in Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan experienced a decline. Hotspots in Central Kalimantan dropped from 217 to 197, while South Kalimantan decreased from 47 to seven points.
However, hotspots in West Kalimantan and South Sumatra saw an increase. West Kalimantan rose from 51 to 91 points, and South Sumatra rose from 11 to 62 points. Meanwhile, there are no longer any high-confidence hotspots recorded in Riau and Jambi.
The Ministry of Forestry emphasised that a hotspot is an indication of surface temperature anomalies detected by satellites and does not definitively mean a fire event is occurring. A single fire incident can be detected as multiple hotspots; therefore, every indication of a surface temperature anomaly must undergo direct field verification.
The Ministry stated it will strengthen patrols, field inspections, and firefighting operations in West Kalimantan and South Sumatra, where hotspots have increased. The Ministry stressed that the development of forest and land fires (karhutla) is highly dynamic, depending on weather conditions and the combustible materials that trigger fires.
To maintain and suppress hotspot numbers in West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, the Ministry of Forestry is conducting Weather Modification Operations (OMC). The Ministry has completed nine flight sorties using 7,200 kilograms of NaCl seeding material in West Kalimantan as part of an operation running from 5 to 14 September.
Seeding was carried out in target areas including Mempawah, Singkawang, Bengkayang, Landak, Kubu Raya, Sanggau, Sekadau, Sintang, Ketapang, and Kayong Utara. The Ministry stated that the OMC has produced an estimated rainfall volume of approximately 87.9 million cubic metres. A full calculation of the overall increase in rainfall will be conducted once the operation concludes.