South Sumatra's Forest Fires Worsen with 182.54 Hectares Burned in First Four Months of 2026

Forest and land fire (karhutla) area in South Sumatra (Sumsel) from January to April 2026 reached 182.54 hectares. This year’s fire damage is worse compared to the same period in 2024 and 2025.

Ferdian Kristanto, Head of the Forestry Ministry’s Fire Control Unit for Sumatra, stated the data is a preliminary recap based on satellite image analysis conducted by the Ministry of Forestry, National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), and the Ministry of Environment.

“The forest and land fire area in Sumsel from January to April 2026, based on satellite image analysis, reached 182.54 hectares,” he told Antara on Sunday (31/5).

He explained that fires in the first four months of this year were detected in eight regencies across Sumsel. Musi Rawas Utara (Muratara) had the largest area, at 53.2 hectares.

This was followed by Musi Banyuasin (Muba) with 33.1 hectares, Muara Enim 31.9 hectares, Ogan Ilir 27.5 hectares, Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) 20 hectares, Banyuasin 9.4 hectares, and Ogan Komering Ulu (OKU) South 1.4 hectares.

The burned land from January to April 2026 was predominantly mineral soil, covering 181.4 hectares, while peatland fires amounted to approximately 1.1 hectares.

“The peatland fire area occurred in Musi Banyuasin,” he added.

The fire area in the first four months of this year is higher compared to the same period in the last two years. In January-April 2024, Sumsel recorded 144.2 hectares of fire damage, while the same period in 2025 saw only around 5 hectares.

However, the 2026 fire area remains lower than 2022’s 485.1 hectares and 2023’s 995.3 hectares.

Ferdian added that monitoring and fire prevention efforts continue with local governments, especially as the dry season approaches, which could increase the risk of forest and land fires in vulnerable areas of Sumsel.