West Kalimantan BPBD Declares Smoke Disaster Alert Status Until November 2026

The West Kalimantan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) has officially extended the emergency alert status for smoke disasters until 15 November 2026. The decision was taken following an increase in the distribution of hotspots, which reached 200 points across 12 districts in the region.

Daniel, Chair of the BPBD Information Task Force, stated that the determination was based on data from the Supadio Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) as of 27 July 2026. “There are 200 hotspots spread across 12 districts,” Daniel said in Pontianak on Wednesday (29/7).

This emergency alert status had actually been in effect since 2 February 2026. However, observing the increasing trend in hotspot distribution in recent weeks, the provincial government decided to extend its validity to optimise prevention and mitigation efforts.

Based on the latest mapping, there are three areas with the highest concentration of hotspots. Conversely, several areas such as Pontianak City, Singkawang City, Sambas Regency, and Sanggau Regency were reported to have zero hotspots according to the same data.

Anticipatory measures are not only being taken at the provincial level. Eight regencies have also established a similar emergency alert status, namely Kubu Raya, Ketapang, Sambas, Mempawah, Sanggau, Kayong Utara, Melawi, and Sintang. Some of these have even extended their alert status periods.

Daniel added that Sambas and Mempawah Regencies had previously raised their status to a smoke disaster emergency response, although this only lasted for seven days.

As a concrete measure on the ground, the West Kalimantan BPBD and the integrated task force are intensifying efforts to extinguish forest and land fires. Both ground and air patrols are being tightened to identify fire sources early.

BPBD West Kalimantan data shows that most of the region is vulnerable to forest and land fires during the period from 28 July to 3 August 2026. The agency continues to coordinate intensively with BMKG Supadio to monitor hotspot developments across 14 regencies and cities. “In monitoring the development of the increasing number of hotspots, the West Kalimantan BPBD is always on standby in carrying out anticipation and extinguishing efforts for forest and land fires,” Daniel concluded.