PONTIANAK, thekabarnews.com—A class-action lawsuit alleging government negligence in addressing forest and land fires (karhutla) opened at the Pontianak District Court on Wednesday, Oct. 7. This put West Kalimantan’s recurring haze crisis under judicial scrutiny.

Fourteen lawyers from the Nafas Kalbar Legal Team filed the civil case on behalf of organizations and residents. These parties say they suffered health, educational and economic losses during the 2026 fire season.

The court registered the lawsuit as case No. 292/Pdt.G/2026/PN Ptk. The allegations have not been proven. In addition, the court has not ruled on whether any government institution committed an unlawful act.

“This is a class action, and those granting us authority represent victims of forest and land fires and haze in West Kalimantan,” legal team coordinator Glorio Sanen said.

The plaintiffs named 10 principal defendants, including President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The forestry and environment ministries, the national police chief, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency head and the finance minister are also among the defendants.

West Kalimantan Governor Ria Norsan and the provincial police chief were named alongside the central government officials. Fourteen other institutions and regional leaders were listed as co-defendants. These included the provincial environmental agency, the provincial disaster-management agency and all regents and mayors in West Kalimantan.

The plaintiffs want the government to designate the fires and haze as a national disaster. They have also sought emergency funding for medical care, peatland firefighting and weather-modification operations.

The lawsuit additionally calls for transparent environmental audits, law enforcement against responsible parties and long-term recovery measures.

Representatives of the central government did not attend the first hearing, according to Nafas Kalbar lawyer Martinus Sudarno. Most regional administrations appeared, although the Melawi regency administration was reportedly absent.

“The president is the first defendant, but neither the president, the vice president nor officials from the central government attended,” Martinus said after the hearing.

The plaintiffs asked the panel of judges to summon the absent parties again. Their nonappearance at the first hearing does not determine the merits of the lawsuit or constitute a finding of liability.

Ahead of the hearing, the West Kalimantan administration assembled information about its fire-prevention, suppression and enforcement measures.

Provincial Environment and Forestry Agency head Adi Yani said officials had coordinated with regents, mayors and relevant agencies. They did this to prepare their response.

“We are following up on what the lawsuit requests, including the required data and information about measures taken by provincial, regency, municipal and national authorities,” Adi said.

He said the administration had conducted public outreach and firefighting operations while coordinating legal action over suspected violations.

Those cases could involve plantation companies, forestry businesses or individuals. However, each allegation would require evidence and the appropriate criminal, civil or administrative process.

The litigation follows a severe dry period. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) recorded 1,357 high-confidence hotspots in West Kalimantan during the 10 days ending Sept. 21, the third-highest provincial total reported at the time. BMKG said dry atmospheric conditions had increased fire and haze risks across Kalimantan.

The case will test whether the government’s documented response met its legal duties. The court will also assess whether the authorities need to take further emergency and preventive measures.