Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – With more than 107,000 hectares already ravaged by land and forest fires this year, the government is scrambling to strengthen its response as a prolonged dry spell and worsening climate conditions threaten to fuel a wider fire season.

The government has designated six fire-prone provinces as priorities for fire control, namely Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan, while preparing firefighting aircraft and expanding weather modification operations to induce rainfall.

Official data and independent analysis show that fire activity this year has surpassed levels recorded during the same period in 2019, when Indonesia experienced one of its most devastating fire seasons in recent history.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has warned that a strong El Nino is likely to persist until the first quarter of 2027. A positive Indian Ocean Dipole, another climate pattern associated with drier conditions, is also expected to prolong drought across much of Indonesia, increasing the risk of more widespread fires.

The recent fire in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java has highlighted the growing challenge, with flames spreading toward residential areas in Dingklik Valley on Monday, seven days after the blaze began despite a National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) report that a joint team had contained the fire after it burned more than 550 hectares.

Against the backdrop of the escalating fire threat, the Office of the Coordinating Politics and Security Minister held a coordination meeting on Monday with the Forestry Ministry, Environment Ministry, BNPB and BMKG.

Speaking after the meeting, coordinating security minister Djamari Chaniago said the government would intensify efforts to contain fires, including by expanding weather modification operations to encourage rainfall in fire-prone regions.

"The most effective way to battle wildfire is to encourage more rainfall by launching weather modification operations. That's the most effective way," Djamari said.

The government has also prepared up to 15 firefighting aircraft and around 43 helicopters for water bombing and fire monitoring.

The senior minister, however, acknowledged that weather modification operations depended heavily on the presence of rain clouds, which have become increasingly scarce amid the prolonged dry spell.

He said that while the government had not allocated a new dedicated budget for fire control, President Prabowo Subianto was prepared to provide additional state funds to regions if necessary.

Other measures would also be expanded to contain fires, adding that no haze had yet been reported to have crossed into neighboring countries.

Cross-border haze has historically blanketed parts of Southeast Asia during El Nino years, with land clearing and fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan being major source of the pollution.

The region could again face widespread smog during the peak burning season in August and September as the two climate patterns intensify, according to a July report by Singapore-based think tank Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA).

Beyond warnings

The State Palace also acknowledged the growing threat on Monday, with State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi saying the government was expanding weather modification operations and deploying water-bombing aircraft to ease drought conditions caused by the strong El Nino.

"The weather is extremely dry right now, easily triggering sparks to ignite. Therefore, we really urge the public to remain vigilant and avoid doing actions that could cause uncontrolled fires," Prasetyo said in a video statement.

Experts have repeatedly warned that most land and forest fires in Indonesia are caused by human negligence or deliberate land clearing, while dry conditions can allow fires to spread more rapidly.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) found that at least 74 percent of hotspots detected across Kalimantan were located within industrial concessions.

Walhi campaign coordinator Uli Arta Siagian said poor natural resource governance had historically contributed to the increasing intensity of forest and land fires, arguing that weather modification alone would be insufficient without broader reforms.

"The government must improve its natural resource governance and reform the issuance of forest and peatland use permits," she said.

Source: https://asianews.network/indonesia-ramps-up-efforts-to-fight-forest-fires