Manokwari, Jubi – West Papua's provincial and district governments have been urged to take immediate action over forest and land fires reported across several parts of the province.
West Papua Papuan People's Council (MRP) chair Judson F Waprak said the provincial and district governments should not ignore the situation, with fires and smoke reported for several days but no official response yet from authorities in areas where hotspots have been detected.
Data gathered by Jubi shows forest and land fires have been reported in South Manokwari, Arfak Mountains, Teluk Bintuni, Teluk Wondama and Fakfak regencies.
In Manokwari, smoke from what appears to be daily rubbish burning has also been drifting towards residential areas from Sowi and Arfai to the provincial government centre.
"West Papua and district governments should not wait for people to become victims before acting. They need to respond now," Waprak said on Sunday (August 23, 2026).
He said security personnel were visible at some of the fire sites, while local governments had yet to respond.
Waprak called on the provincial and district governments to at least establish teams to prevent fires from spreading and extinguish existing hotspots.
"We do not want people to become victims. Based on the information we have received, fires around Mount Botak in South Manokwari and several other areas have nearly reached residential areas," he said.
He urged governors and district heads to immediately establish teams to detect and extinguish hotspots.
Waprak also cautioned all parties, including law enforcement agencies, against assuming that residents were responsible for the fires simply because land may have been burned to clear areas for farming.
He said investigations were needed to establish the actual causes of the fires, including the possibility that some areas may have been deliberately set alight.
Meanwhile, South Manokwari Police Chief AKBP Marsel Doni Siahay said several hotspots remained in mountainous areas.
"We are continuing to monitor and respond to the remaining hotspots together with relevant agencies," Marsel said.
He said the fires were in mountainous areas with difficult terrain, making them challenging to access.
Police were nevertheless deploying available personnel and equipment to fight the fires while coordinating with the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the military, firefighters and other relevant agencies.
He said authorities were currently focused on preventing the fires from spreading, particularly towards residential areas and locations where they could pose a risk to communities.
"We also urge residents to remain vigilant, avoid burning land and immediately report any new hotspots to authorities so they can be dealt with promptly," he said.
Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has reported several hotspots across West Papua, including in South Manokwari, Teluk Bintuni, Teluk Wondama, Fakfak and the Arfak Mountains.
Source: https://en.jubi.id/west-papua-government-urged-to-act-on-forest-and-land-fires