JAKARTA, thekabarnews.com—President Prabowo Subianto has approved Rp240 billion (US$14.4 million) in presidential assistance (Banpres) for forest and land fire (karhutla) control in West Kalimantan, with four additional regencies receiving funds under the second phase.

Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said the government distributed the assistance in two tranches. The first provided Rp200 billion to the West Kalimantan provincial administration and 10 regency or municipal governments.

“The first tranche of Rp200 billion has been disbursed and transferred directly to the West Kalimantan governor and the relevant regents,” Raja Juli said in Jakarta on Friday, Oct. 23.

The government later identified Mempawah, Landak, Sekadau and Sanggau as areas that had not received funding in the first phase. Prabowo subsequently approved assistance for the four regencies, bringing the overall allocation to Rp240 billion.

Raja Juli said the second-phase funds had reached the respective regional government accounts approximately two days before his announcement.

“Therefore, the total Banpres [presidential assistance] for the wildfire response stands at Rp240 billion,” he said.

The figures indicate that the second tranche accounted for Rp40 billion. However, the government statement did not provide a public breakdown of how much each of the four regencies received.

Regional administrations will manage the presidential assistance directly. Raja Juli urged local officials to use the funds according to their designated purposes and the guidance issued by the Home Affairs Ministry.

The allocation remains separate from central-government spending on aerial firefighting and weather-modification operations. BNPB, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the Forestry Ministry and other agencies continue to provide that operational support.

West Kalimantan remained a priority for fire control despite a decline in reported hotspots. Forestry Ministry monitoring recorded 39 high-confidence hotspots in the province as of 11:59 p.m. on Oct. 22. Ketapang accounted for 37 of them, while Melawi and Sintang recorded one each.

During the Sept. 23–Oct. 22 monitoring period, authorities detected 1,712 high-confidence hotspots across West Kalimantan, including 1,604 in Ketapang.

The ministry noted that a hotspot represents a satellite-detected surface-temperature anomaly and does not automatically confirm a separate fire or indicate the size of a burned area.

The ministry also prepared 104 additional personnel for operations in Ketapang. Police and military (TNI) reinforcements were being coordinated to support ground patrols, direct suppression and the cooling of fire-affected peatland.

The Rp240 billion allocation gives West Kalimantan’s local governments additional resources to protect residents and support field operations. Its effectiveness will depend on transparent spending, coordination with firefighting agencies and public reporting on how the money reduces fire and haze risks.