Indonesia Wildfires Persist as Underground Peat Fires Challenge Central Kalimantan Efforts
Forest and land fire hotspots in Indonesia fell to 96 nationwide as of Saturday night, down from 160 a day earlier, even as rising detections in Central Kalimantan and persistent underground peat fires continue to challenge firefighting operations.
Hotspot Count Drops Nationally While Central Kalimantan Rises
The Forestry Ministry stated that high-confidence hotspot detections nationwide had declined by 64 as of 9 pm on Saturday. Despite the overall downward trend, Central Kalimantan recorded an increase from 12 to 15 hotspots. Out of the 96 total hotspots detected across the country, 19 were recorded across six priority provinces. This breakdown included 15 in Central Kalimantan, three in South Sumatra, and one in South Kalimantan.
Central Kalimantan remains a primary focus of fire-control operations. Fires in peatlands can continue burning and spreading beneath the surface even after visible flames are extinguished or rainfall occurs, prolonging operations and complicating containment efforts, according to the ministry’s update. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni inspected fire-affected areas in Central Kalimantan to assess conditions and ensure monitoring and enforcement continue.
Aerial Operations Deploy Scores of Aircraft
Authorities have deployed 61 aircraft to combat the blazes. Of that total, 24 aircraft are assigned to aerial patrols and weather modification, while 37 helicopters are conducting water-bombing operations. The Forestry Ministry urged communities and businesses to avoid open burning for land clearing and to report any signs of smoke or fire immediately.
Weather conditions have compounded the crisis. Indonesia has received less than a quarter of its normal rainfall since June, according to Atmospheric G2, leaving the ground dry and making slash-and-burn agricultural fires harder to contain. Nearly 13,500 hotspots have been detected nationwide so far this month, the most since 2015, according to the forestry ministry’s SiPongi platform.
Regional Haze and Health Toll Across Provinces
The choking haze has drifted across neighboring countries and blanketed local towns for weeks, closing schools and straining diplomatic ties. Singapore’s foreign minister visited Jakarta to address the tensions, resulting in an agreement to establish a joint task force on forest fires. In Kuala Lumpur and Singapore, air quality frequently ranked among the worst globally.
On the ground, residents in Indonesian Borneo have faced severe health consequences. The Health Ministry reported that more than 300,000 people across seven provinces suffered from respiratory tract infections between August and October. In Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, more than 11,000 people sought treatment for respiratory infections. The Health Ministry set up nearly 500 facilities offering free oxygen and treatment, with nearly 300 located in Central Kalimantan.
Toxic smog from the fires contains harmful elements including formaldehyde, hydrogen cyanide, ammonia, and PM2.5 particles capable of penetrating the lungs and bloodstream. The Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) reported that air pollution-related deaths in Indonesia jumped to 5,310 nationwide in September—a 42 percent increase from August—with toxic smoke from forest and land fires accounting for 94 to 99 percent of those deaths in four Kalimantan provinces.
Rainfall Should Ease Fires by December
Weather intelligence firms anticipate relief heading into the final months of the year. Andreas Vallgren, chief science officer at Ignitia, stated that substantial rainfall should fall through November, increasing further in December. However, weather experts note that extinguishing underground peat fires will depend on how consistently rainfall reaches affected areas. Hansi Singh, chief executive officer and founder of Plannette AI, projected that rains will ease fires in Borneo and Sumatra by December. Budi Harsoyo, a senior official at BMKG, Indonesia’s national weather agency, expressed hope that the crisis can be resolved in November.