Forest and Land Fires in West Kotawaringin Reach 160 Incidents

  • 14 Agt 2026 11:26 WIB
  •  Voice of Indonesia
Poin Utama
  • Forest and land fires in West Kotawaringin Regency have burned 328.8 hectares across 160 incidents.
  • Kumai Subdistrict is among the areas of concern due to a significant increase in fire activity.

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Forest and land fires in West Kotawaringin Regency, Central Kalimantan, have burned 328.8 hectares across a total of 160 incidents. Kumai Subdistrict has become one of the areas of concern due to a significant escalation in fire activity.

“The area has relatively thick peatland characteristics, making the suppression process difficult,” said Acting Head of Emergency and Logistics at the West Kotawaringin Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), Adnan Santana, on Thursday, August 13, 2026.

Baca juga: House Encourages Global Cooperation to Boost Economy of West Java's Garut Regency

Meanwhile, regarding the hundreds of hotspots detected, the agency explained that not all of them represent actual forest and land fires. Some hotspots can appear due to light reflections, including those from metal roofs.

Firefighting efforts also face challenges in accessing hard-to-reach locations, as well as limited water sources at several points. “The thick peatland conditions require special strategies for extinguishing. Personnel wet the fire front to prevent the flames from spreading again,” he said.

Baca juga: Drought Threat Expands, Tangerang Maps Drought-Prone Areas

Efforts include creating water blockades approximately 20 to 30 meters from the fire points. The BPBD confirmed that the personnel and equipment currently deployed remain sufficient to handle the fires. Smoke conditions have also not significantly impacted community activities.

“Air quality remains in the moderate category and has not entered the unhealthy range. Flight activities in the area are also operating normally,” he said.

This situation has been aided by wind directions carrying smoke away from land areas toward the sea. Nevertheless, the BPBD noted that some residents have experienced acute respiratory infections (ISPA). (Annaila Azzahra-EN)

google-preference
Kata Kunci / Tags
RRI News air quality BPBD Central Kalimantan disaster management environmental disaster firefighting forest and land fires forest fires hotspots ISPA karhutla Kumai land fires peatland peatland fires respiratory infections smoke haze West Kotawaringin wildfire response

News Recomendation

Berita Terbaru Lainnya

Memuat berita terbaru.....