West Kalimantan Hotspots Decline, Forestry Minister: Not Necessarily Safe from Haze

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said that forest and land fire hotspots in West Kalimantan have fallen to 28 points. However, Raja Juli acknowledged that smoke is still widely visible.

“For the West Kalimantan region there are 28 hotspots. The highest number is in Ketapang with 16, followed by Melawi with 11, and one in Kubu Raya,” the minister said while inspecting forest and land fire handling in Rasau Jaya Satu, Kubu Raya Regency, West Kalimantan, on Monday (24/8/2026).

During the inspection, Raja Juli Antoni was accompanied by West Kalimantan Governor Ria Norsan, TNI and Polri personnel, BMKG, BNPB, Manggala Agni of the Ministry of Forestry, and fire-aware community groups.

Based on data from the Forest and Land Fire Control Information System (Sipongi) as of 23 August 2026 at 23:59 WIB, 28 hotspots were recorded in West Kalimantan. Sixteen hotspots were located in Ketapang Regency, 11 in Melawi Regency, and one in Kubu Raya Regency.

According to him, the decline in hotspots cannot yet be used as an indicator that the threat of forest and land fires and haze has ended. During the inspection, surface fires were not visible, but smoke was still emerging.

Raja Juli Antoni explained that this condition is related to the characteristics of peatland, which allows the combustion process to be incomplete and produce more smoke compared to mineral soil.

“The absence of hotspots does not mean it is safe from haze. Because this is indeed a peatland area. Combustion is incomplete, so the smoke is greater than on mineral soil,” he said.