Purbaya Assures Forest Fire Budget Is Ready, BNPB Only Needs to Submit Requirements

JAKARTA – Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has confirmed that the budget for handling forest and land fires in Kalimantan is ready. However, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has not yet submitted its total funding requirements.

Purbaya said the budget for forest fire handling will be channelled through BNPB. The agency currently has around Rp5 trillion in funds. The government is prepared to add more should that amount prove insufficient.

“We have been asked, it will depend on BNPB’s request. We will channel it through BNPB. They have Rp5 trillion. If it is not enough, we will top it up later,” Purbaya told reporters in Jakarta on Wednesday (26/8/2026).

According to Purbaya, the specific budget for forest fires cannot yet be determined because the response is still ongoing. BNPB still needs to recalculate requirements on the ground.

“BNPB has not given the total cost, so we do not know the figure. This is still happening, they will reassess. But my estimate is that it will not be as large as in Aceh, because Aceh was very massive,” he said.

Purbaya assured that budget availability will not be an obstacle to accelerating the forest fire response. “Our money is always ready, it just depends on how BNPB runs the operation,” he said.

When asked whether the government is prepared to meet whatever amount BNPB requests, Purbaya said yes, with the caveat that the use of funds must be accountable.

“Yes, as long as it is not marked up,” he said.

Purbaya said disaster response takes a different approach compared with ordinary government spending because it concerns public safety.

“For disasters, the approach is different from ordinary spending. Disasters involve the lives of many people, threatening their livelihoods. So we will take a different approach compared with other programmes,” Purbaya said.

In addition to channelling funds through BNPB, Purbaya said the Ministry of Forestry has submitted a budget request for forest fire handling and part of that allocation has already been provided.