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SITUATION OVERVIEW
Indonesia is facing its most challenging dry season in a decade as wildfires spread across Borneo and Sumatra islands. The government calls September 2026 the “battleground month” for fire containment.
Key Data as of Late August 2026:
– Total area burned nationwide: ∼286,000 hectares between January – late August 2026
– Jan-July 2026: 202,000 hectares burned
– Active hotspots peak: Over 1,200 to 1,612 in August
– 6 priority provinces hit hardest: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan
1. FIRES NEAR NEW CAPITAL NUSANTARA
Wildfires have spread to areas around Indonesia’s under-construction new capital, Nusantara in East Kalimantan.
– Bukit Suharto forest park: ∼300 hectares burned, 50km from city center
– Total around Nusantara: ∼400 hectares burned as of Sept 2
Authorities have requested cloud-seeding and water-bombing operations.
2. WORST AFFECTED PROVINCES – TOP 10
According to Ministry of Forestry SIPONGI data as of Aug 20, 2026: d0c0
Province Area Burned (Hectares)
West Kalimantan 38,310.86
South Papua 25,838.53
East Nusa Tenggara 19,565.16
West Nusa Tenggara 17,406.46
Riau 15,738.92
Maluku 14,677.00
East Java 10,835.28
East Kalimantan 8,019.63
South Kalimantan 7,634.46
Riau Islands 5,760.90
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West Kalimantan has recorded the most extensive wildfires and 1.1 million students studying online.
3. IMPACT ON PEOPLE & SCHOOLS
– 1.43 million students from 12,874 schools in 6 provinces shifted to online learning from Aug 31 – Sept 4
– Air quality exceeded 200 on the Air Pollution Standard Index, with Southeast Pontianak reaching 1,023
– Readings above 300 are classified as “hazardous”
– Haze has also reached Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines. Air quality in Sarawak, Malaysia reached hazardous levels
4. CAUSES: EL NIÑO + HUMAN ACTIVITY
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni warns September is the peak of “super El Niño”. Rainfall may not return until early October.
The devastation is largely man-made:
– Deliberate burning by individuals or corporations
– Slash-and-burn for palm oil plantations
– Drainage canals drying peatlands, causing underground fires that are hard to extinguish
– Police arrested 72 people in 89 fire-related cases
Indonesia’s peatlands are especially dangerous. ASEAN has 56% of world’s tropical peatlands, >70% in Indonesia.
5. GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
The Forestry Ministry is maximizing 3 efforts:
1. Weather modification / Cloud seeding
2. Aerial water-bombing
3. 1,000 additional ground personnel deployed. Nearly 13,000 personnel assigned to Kalimantan
BNPB has deployed helicopters for patrols and water bombing in 6 provinces.
6. WILDLIFE RESCUE
9 orangutans evacuated in less than a month in Ketapang, West Kalimantan. A mother and baby were rescued Thursday as fire spread near their habitat. Veterinarians warn smoke exposure affects orangutan respiratory systems.
7. VOLUNTEERS ON THE FRONTLINE
Volunteer firefighter Kristoforus Sinyong and team fight fires in West Kalimantan with minimal equipment: rubber boots, small water pumps, knapsack sprayers. “If we waited until there was enough, the fire might have spread everywhere”
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WHAT’S NEXT
The Meteorology Agency forecasts El Niño will last into early 2027. September remains the critical period.
Authorities are also investigating 42 companies with concessions at high wildfire potential.
Air Quality Warning: Residents in Kalimantan and Sumatra are advised to wear masks and stay indoors when AQI >200.
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