West Kalimantan Governor Speaks Out on Forest Fires, Issues Appeal to Residents
West Kalimantan Governor Ria Norsan has spoken out about the forest and land fire tragedy occurring in several regions of Kalimantan, particularly in the province he leads.
He conveyed this in a post on his Instagram social media account on Friday (21/8).
According to him, the forest and land fires are inseparable from the prolonged dry season and the influence of El Niño. However, he also admitted that he does not turn a blind eye to the fact that the fires are influenced by land clearing through burning.
Therefore, through the post on his social media account, he sent words of appeal to his residents to prevent and fight the forest and land fires.
“The prolonged dry season accompanied by the influence of El Niño has triggered the emergence of forest and land fire hotspots in the Kalimantan region,” read the caption that began Ria Norsan’s Instagram post, seen on Friday evening.
The post was accompanied by a photo of a map of Kalimantan Island filled with hotspots indicating the occurrence of forest and land fires.
‘Pray for Kalimantan’ — read the text on the poster of burning Kalimantan Island in the governor’s post.
In the caption of the image, he wrote that the widespread forest and land fire situation requires extra vigilance and concern from all parties.
He then urged residents to stop the practice of clearing land by burning.
“Our small steps mean a lot: stop the practice of burning land, report indications of fire quickly, and always wear a mask when doing activities outdoors to avoid the adverse effects of smoke haze,” wrote Ria Norsan.
“I extend my highest appreciation and respect to all the joint teams in the field who continue to work hard day and night to extinguish the hotspots,” he continued, praising the joint teams.
It was previously reported that the Ministry of Environment also issued urgent instructions for six governors in Sumatra and Kalimantan to tighten handling.
In a statement titled “Responding to the Decline in Air Quality and the Threat of Forest and Land Fires in the 2026 Dry Season” received in Jakarta on Friday (21/8), Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat focused on protecting public safety in Riau, South Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, Jambi, and South Kalimantan in the urgent instruction message.
Meanwhile, National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo stated that his party has identified a number of names suspected of being linked to the cause of the forest and land fires in the Kalimantan region.
He said the findings were obtained from investigations and inquiries related to the forest and land fire incidents in recent times.
“We are conducting investigations and inquiries related to the events that occurred. Several names have been secured,” he told reporters on Friday (21/8).
On the other hand, Listyo also admitted that he has instructed all ranks to continue extinguishing the forest areas that have burned.
“What we are currently doing is extinguishing,” he said.