BMKG: Forest Fire Risks Persist until Rainy Season

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) has urged local governments and the public to remain vigilant against forest and land fires (karhutla), even as some regions begin entering the rainy season. Dry conditions and the risk of fires still require continued attention in the coming weeks.

Head of BMKG's Satellite Imagery Analysis and Lightning Detection Team, Alpon Sepriando Manuruang, said mitigation efforts have been carried out by providing information on the development of El Niño, hotspots, meteorological drought, and air quality to the government and relevant stakeholders.

According to Alpon, the information has been provided to various parties, including local governments and Regional Disaster Management Agencies (BPBD), as a basis for taking preventive and response measures against forest and land fires.

Alpon stressed that the public should not assume that the risk of forest and land fires has ended simply because rainfall occurs or the number of hotspots declines over several days.

“We still need to work hard on various fronts, as is already being done. We also need to prepare ourselves because the potential for forest and land fires may persist for quite some time,” Alpon said in an interview with RRI Voice of Indonesia, Wednesday, August 26, 2026.

He said BMKG also continues to coordinate with various stakeholders to support forest and land fire response efforts, including by providing information on weather conditions and potential hotspots.

In addition, weather modification operations have been carried out in several regions as an effort to increase the likelihood of rainfall. Alpon said the operations include areas in Riau, West Kalimantan, South Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, and Lampung.

“Just because we see several days of rain or a decrease in fires, we should not assume that the ongoing dry conditions no longer pose a risk,” he said.

BMKG has emphasized that mitigation efforts need to be carried out continuously, taking into account the appropriate timing and locations. This is important to ensure that forest and land fire prevention and response measures can be implemented effectively as long as dry conditions persist.