Indonesia Steps Up Forest Fire Response as September Becomes 'Battleground'

September 1, 2026 | 07:15 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Forestry Ministry will maximize weather modification operations, aerial water-bombing and ground task forces to suppress widespread forest and land fires throughout September 2026.

In a statement received in Jakarta on Monday, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni described September as a decisive period in the national fire-containment strategy, as seasonal rainfall has been delayed.

“September is our battleground,” Raja Juli said, citing forecasts from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) indicating that natural rainfall may not return until early October.

The minister emphasized that cloud seeding, officially known as weather modification operations, remains one of the most effective methods as long as suitable atmospheric conditions persist, allowing authorities to induce rainfall over fire-affected areas.

To reinforce suppression efforts on the ground, the ministry is deploying approximately 1,000 additional personnel to prevent frontline fatigue and support specialized firefighting units.

"Ground task forces must be deployed as optimally as possible in areas with high numbers of hotspots, supported by structured daily rotations,” Raja Juli said, adding that additional personnel would handle essential field logistics.

The intensified response follows alarming fire data showing that nearly 286,000 hectares of land have been scorched nationwide between January and late August 2026.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) reported that more than 48,889 hectares had been scorched across six priority provinces, while the ministry’s SIPONGI system recorded more than 1,200 active hotspots at peak levels across Kalimantan and Sumatra.

The extensive fires have been driven by a prolonged El Niño-induced dry spell and exacerbated by illegal slash-and-burn practices for land clearing.

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