The Indonesian national disaster agency, BNPB, announced on Friday that it is prioritizing wildfire containment in the Kalimantan region on the island of Borneo. The decision follows a reported increase in fire hotspots in the area, which borders Malaysia. Government data indicates that air quality in certain parts of Kalimantan has already reached unhealthy levels due to the smoke.
The surge in fire activity occurred as Indonesia entered a critical period for forest and land fires, which the national weather agency expects to last through September. Weather officials also noted that El Niño conditions are projected to persist into early 2027. Between January and July 2026, wildfires damaged 202,004 hectares (499,162 acres) of land, an increase from the 107,465 hectares reported through June.
According to the government monitoring site Sipongi Kemenhut, 1,250 hotspots were recorded this week, up from 1,187 the previous week. More than 900 of these were located in Kalimantan. The BNPB has deployed approximately 13,000 personnel to Kalimantan for ground operations and patrols. Additionally, the agency is using helicopters for water bombing, cloud seeding, and patrols across six priority provinces, including Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, and the three Kalimantan provinces.
On a broader scale, the fires have already consumed more than 200,000 hectares of land in the first seven months of 2026. This represents a significant increase in land damage compared to the first half of the year, with 3,736 hotspots detected so far in August compared to 758 in July. The forestry ministry noted that while daily hotspot counts have recently fallen, the risk of new fires has not ended, meaning emergency personnel and resources remain committed to the region for the foreseeable future.
The ongoing fire season also has legal and economic implications for landholders. The environment ministry confirmed it has launched inspections into fires located within a palm oil concession held by PT Bintang Harapan Palma in South Sumatra. As the El Niño weather pattern is expected to continue through early 2027, the government's heightened monitoring and firefighting efforts are scheduled to remain in place through the end of the critical August-to-September window and beyond if conditions dictate. Air quality monitoring and school schedules in the border regions will continue to depend on the success of these containment efforts.