West Kotawaringin Extends Forest and Land Fire Emergency Status for Two Weeks

The West Kotawaringin (Kobar) regency government in Central Kalimantan has extended the emergency response status for forest and land fires (karhutla). The previously applicable emergency status will be extended for the next two weeks, from 21 August to 4 September 2026.

This follows the increasingly widespread karhutla situation in Kobar. As of 18 August 2026, 189 karhutla incidents had been recorded, with the total burned area reaching 859.490 hectares.

“The extension was made because the karhutla threat is still considered high. The extreme hot weather that has not subsided makes land and vegetation in several areas highly flammable, while field handling still faces various obstacles,” said Kobar Regent Nurhidayah while inspecting the Main Karhutla Emergency Response Command Post at the Kobar BPBD office, as reported by detikKalimantan on Wednesday (19/8/2026).

She said the high number of karhutla incidents is a serious concern for the regional government together with all elements of the Karhutla Task Force (Satgas). Moreover, Kobar is currently the region with the second-largest karhutla area in Central Kalimantan.

“For the Central Kalimantan region, Kobar ranks second for karhutla area. This is a concern for the entire Task Force team to be more vigilant and respond quickly to incident reports,” said Nurhidayah.

Nurhidayah requested that the Main Command Post be activated 24 hours a day. A duty system must also be implemented so that there are always officers on standby to receive reports and coordinate in the event of a fire.