Jakarta, MINA – The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has stated that forest and land fires in Central Kalimantan are significantly more challenging to control than similar incidents in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).
BNPB chief Suharyanto explained that Central Kalimantan has vast areas of peatland, which are highly susceptible to burning during the dry season, unlike the non-peatland areas of East Nusa Tenggara.
“In East Nusa Tenggara, even though the burned area is larger, because it’s not peatland, the fire is immediately extinguished with rain or water spraying,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday.
According to Suharyanto, the prevalence of peatland makes fire control in Central Kalimantan more complex, a challenge shared with other priority provinces like West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, South Sumatra, Jambi, and Riau. When peatland fires occur in these six provinces, government intervention is required, including deploying ground task forces with full equipment, aerial water bombing with specialized aircraft, and even weather modification to increase the chances of rain.
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“When fires hit peatlands, the challenge is immense; the fire doesn’t go out immediately even when you pour water on it,” he explained.
The BNPB emphasized that preparedness for forest and land fire threats is paramount to minimizing ecological and public health damage in every region, as the peak of the dry season is expected to last until early September.
According to the Ministry of Forestry’s fire indication map from January to June 2025, approximately 8,594 hectares of land have burned, with more than 80.15 percent of the fires occurring in peatland areas.
Among the six priority provinces, West Kalimantan saw the most incidents, with 1,149 hectares burned, followed by Riau (751 hectares), Central Kalimantan (146 hectares), and Jambi-South Sumatra (43 hectares). South Kalimantan has not yet reported any burned land area. Meanwhile, in East Nusa Tenggara, the Ministry of Forestry reported that 1,424.23 hectares of land burned between January and June 2025. [Shibgho]
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