Pontianak, Thekabrnews.com—The threat of land and forest fires (Karhutla) in West Kalimantan has once again become a major concern. This situation has prompted both central and regional governments to strengthen preventive measures ahead of a potentially severe dry season in 2026.
Officials said that this year’s dry season is likely to start earlier and be much drier than usual. Therefore, it makes it more likely that there will be many fires.
Based on the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG)’s analysis, the forecast has made people in the area more ready.
The Coordinating Politics and Security Minister Djamari Chaniago emphasized the importance of taking the threat of land and forest fires seriously.
He said during a disaster preparedness meeting in Pontianak on Thursday, April 16, that there had already been early signs of possible fires since the start of the year.
“This is not a normal threat. We need to seriously and constantly expect it,” he said.
He talked about how the province’s large areas of peatland make things even harder. It is well known that fires burning under the surface of peat soil are difficult to find and put out. They need special methods and long-term efforts to stop them.
The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head stressed the need for early prevention at the same time. He said that early warning systems and weather modification technology will be crucial. These tools will lower the risk of fires before they get worse.
“BMKG has sent out early warnings, and BNPB is ready to step in, even by changing the weather,” he stated.
The forestry minister, Raja Juli Antoni, said something similar. He said that Karhutla incidents have been going down recently because of better collaboration between different sectors.
“This evidence shows that working together can really cut down on Karhutla cases. But we need to stay alert and make our current coordination even stronger,” he said.
He also told regional governments to declare an emergency preparedness status right away. This would make it easier for them to get help from the central government, such as budget allocations and technical assistance.
“The state budget support is there. The key is to declare an emergency so that response measures can be sped up,” he remarked.
The West Kalimantan governor Ria Norsan said that prevention is the most important strategy. He asked everyone in society to help protect the environment and keep fires from starting.
“Better to stop something than to hide it. It is our shared duty to keep West Kalimantan free from Karhutla disasters,” Norsan said.
Authorities say that strong cooperation between the central and regional governments will be essential in lowering the risks of Karhutla across West Kalimantan this year. In addition, active community participation will also help, since the dry season is expected to start earlier and be drier.
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