West Kalimantan Extends Forest Fire Smoke Emergency Response Until 20 September

The West Kalimantan Provincial Government has extended the Emergency Response Status for smoke caused by forest and land fires (karhutla) until 20 September 2026.

“The Emergency Response Status for smoke due to forest and land fires will be extended from 7 September to 20 September 2026,” stated the Vice Governor of West Kalimantan, Krisantus Kurniawan, in Pontianak on Thursday (10/9).

He explained that the extension was implemented because the Land Task Force and Air Task Force are still conducting handling and cooling operations to control forest and land fires in several areas of West Kalimantan.

Krisantus noted that the West Kalimantan Provincial Government has also prepared budgetary support, including through Unforeseen Expenditure (BTT) for forest fires and drought disasters.

“This budget will be used to support personnel mobilisation, the provision and distribution of logistics, the fulfilment of clean water needs, and health services for communities affected by the disaster,” he said.

Previously, the Kubu Raya Regency Government also extended the disaster emergency response status following predictions that the dry season is expected to continue until mid-October 2026.

“We have conducted an evaluation meeting attended by several agencies, including the BMKG. We have evaluated each aspect, and it is estimated that the dry season will persist until mid-October 2026,” said the Regional Secretary of Kubu Raya Regency, Yusran, while leading the evaluation meeting at the Kubu Raya Regent’s Office on Wednesday (9/9).

Yusran Anizam stated that the decision was made after the local government conducted evaluations alongside several agencies, including the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).

According to him, the extension of the emergency response status serves as a basis for the local government to optimise the handling of drought impacts, including in the health and education sectors.

The Kubu Raya Regency Government also remains focused on managing forest and land fires by extinguishing hotspots still found in several areas.

“Although the number of hotspots has significantly decreased, officers and volunteers continue to monitor and carry out extinguishing efforts to prevent fires from spreading again,” he added.