Tito Instructs Regional Heads: Ban Land Clearing by Burning
Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian has issued an instruction ordering regional heads to ban land clearing by burning, including for customary reasons. The move comes amid forest and land fires currently affecting Indonesia.
“I have issued Home Affairs Minister Instruction Number 1 of 2026, which essentially prohibits regional heads—regents, governors, mayors—from clearing land by burning without exception. Previously there was an exemption for customary matters, now there is no exception,” Tito said at the JCC in Jakarta on Sunday (23/8/2026).
Tito said the measure was taken to prevent the emergence of new burn sites. He added that the instruction had just been issued.
“I issued Home Affairs Minister Instruction Number 1 of 2026 yesterday, immediately. Even though the Environment Minister has also issued a circular dated the 10th,” he said.
Tito explained that all elements have been asked to work optimally in handling forest and land fires. The current priority is to extinguish fires while preventing new hotspots from emerging.
“So the main strategy is that areas already burning must be extinguished and contained immediately with the full mobilisation of forces, including from the Ministry of Public Works, the Ministry of Agriculture, and others,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) recorded that the total area of forest and land fires in Indonesia has reached 72,798 hectares.
Based on data presented by BNPB Deputy for Prevention Abdul Muhari on Sunday (22/8/2026), the province with the largest burned area is West Kalimantan, reaching 38,310 hectares. Personnel deployed to extinguish fires in West Kalimantan number 10,010.
The following is a list of burned areas and the distribution of ground task forces in Indonesia:
Burned area:
West Kalimantan: 38,310.89 ha
Riau: 16,249.24 ha
South Kalimantan: 8,019.62 ha
Central Kalimantan: 7,634.46 ha
South Sumatra: 1,926.23 ha
Jambi: ±658.29 ha
Total: ±72,798.73 ha
Ground task forces:
West Kalimantan: 10,010 personnel
Central Kalimantan: 10,700 personnel
South Kalimantan: 1,408 personnel
Riau: 17,764 personnel
Jambi: 5,818 personnel
South Sumatra: 11,567 personnel
Total: 57,267 personnel