Forest Fires in South Sumatra Surge in Early 2026
- 31 Mei 2026 21:38 WIB
- Voice of Indonesia
Key Points
- Forest and land fires in South Sumatra burned 182.54 hectares between January–April 2026, a 36‑fold increase from just five hectares in 2025.
- Fires hit eight regencies, with Muratara suffering the largest damage at 53.2 ha, followed by Musi Banyuasin (33.1 ha) and Muara Enim (31.9 ha).
RRI.CO.ID, Palembang - Forest and land fires in South Sumatra expanded sharply in the opening months of 2026, burning 182.54 hectares between January and April. This marks a 36‑fold increase from the same period last year, when only five hectares were scorched across the province.
The figures, released Sunday by the Ministry of Forestry’s Forest Fire Control Agency for the Sumatra Region, highlight growing concern as the dry season approaches. Fire‑prone areas across the province now face heightened risk.
Agency head Ferdian Kristanto disclosed the data in Palembang on Sunday, May 31, 2026. He cautioned that the numbers remain preliminary, compiled through satellite imagery analysis conducted jointly by the Ministry of Forestry, the National Innovation and Research Agency (BRIN), and the Ministry of Environment.
“Forest and land fires from January to April 2026 in South Sumatra, based on satellite imagery analysis, reached 182.54 hectares,” Ferdian said, as quoted by Antara.
Fires were detected across eight regencies during the four‑month period.
Musi Rawas Utara (Muratara) recorded the largest burned area at 53.2 hectares, followed by Musi Banyuasin at 33.1 hectares, Muara Enim at 31.9 hectares, Ogan Ilir at 27.5 hectares, Ogan Komering Ilir at 20 hectares, Banyuasin at 9.4 hectares, and Ogan Komering Ulu Selatan at 1.4 hectares.
The vast majority of the burned land consisted of mineral soil, accounting for 181.4 hectares. Meanwhile, peatland fires, which are harder to extinguish and carry greater environmental consequences, covered approximately 1.1 hectares. “The peatland fires occurred in the Musi Banyuasin area,” Ferdian explained.
While this year’s figures represent a sharp rise from 2025’s unusually low tally, they remain well below peaks recorded in recent years. South Sumatra saw 144.2 hectares burned in the same period of 2024, 485.1 hectares in 2022, and 995.3 hectares in 2023.
Ferdian said monitoring and prevention efforts are ongoing in coordination with regional administrations, with measures being intensified ahead of the dry season. This period has historically driven the most severe outbreaks of forest and land fires in the province. ***
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