HOLOPIS.COM, JAKARTA – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has ordered government agencies to strengthen efforts to tackle forest and land fires still affecting parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, with around 639 hectares of land remaining under active firefighting operations.
Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said Prabowo chaired a limited meeting with relevant officials on Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, to review ongoing efforts to control the fires. The meeting was held in a hybrid format from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.
“President Prabowo Subianto chaired a limited meeting to discuss forest and land fire management in a hybrid format from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta,” Teddy said, Holopis.com reported, Tuesday (13/10).
During the meeting, Prabowo received technical reports from the field, including updates on the fires and the measures taken to contain them.
According to Indonesian National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Chief Lt. Gen. Suharyanto, six provinces have been the most severely affected by the fires. Joint firefighting teams are still working to extinguish fires across a total of 639 hectares of land.
“Approximately 639 hectares of land are still undergoing firefighting operations. The main focus is currently on two provinces, Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra,” Teddy said, citing the report.
The government continues to intensify its response, with tens of thousands of joint personnel working to contain the fires, which have proven difficult to extinguish.
“Ground operations are supported by more than 60,177 joint personnel, with an average success rate of over 80% of the area newly affected by fires each day,” he explained.
In addition to ground operations, joint teams are expanding aerial firefighting efforts to reach areas with limited access to water. These operations include water bombing, in which aircraft drop large quantities of water over fire-affected areas.
“Aerial operations using water bombing are also continuing in several areas to accelerate firefighting efforts,” Teddy added.
Teddy said conditions had improved in several locations, including Riau and parts of Kalimantan.
“Conditions in Riau, West Kalimantan, Jambi and South Kalimantan have shown improvement,” he said.
Weather modification operations are also being optimized to encourage rainfall and support firefighting efforts. The measures come as the rainy season is expected to begin spreading across the country from mid-to-late October 2026.
