Forest Fire Embers Still Smoldering in Kalimantan’s Peat, BNPB Puts 51 Aircraft on Standby

JAKARTA — Rain has started to fall in parts of Kalimantan, but the threat of forest and land fires (karhutla) is not over. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) warns that embers are still smoldering beneath the peat and could spark new fires.

BNPB’s acting head of disaster data, information and communication, Berton SP Panjaitan, said on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, that surface hotspots in Central and East Kalimantan had gone out after the rain. But embers beneath the peat mean the area is “highly likely to see new forest fires”, as quoted by Okezone.

Central and East Kalimantan Rise Again

BNPB has designated six provinces as priorities, with a total burned area of 1,256 hectares. Central Kalimantan recorded 547 hectares, up 56 percent, and East Kalimantan 60 hectares, up 80 percent. South Papua fell 25 percent to 455 hectares, while Southeast Sulawesi recorded 91 hectares, Central Sulawesi 89 hectares and East Nusa Tenggara 14 hectares.

BNPB has 51 planes and helicopters on standby: 30 for water bombing and 21 for patrols and weather modification (OMC). In Central Kalimantan, six OMC sorties seeded 10,600 kilograms of dry ice and salt, bringing rain to Palangka Raya, Sukamara, Katingan, East Kotawaringin, Seruyan, West Kotawaringin, Gunung Mas and Tanjung Puting National Park. In South Kalimantan, two sorties with 1,800 kilograms of salt brought rain to Banjarbaru, Banjarmasin, Tanah Laut and Tanah Bumbu.

The Toll of the Smoke: Illness, Schools and Wildlife

Four months of fires have left layered impacts. The Health Ministry recorded 333,470 cases of acute respiratory infection (ISPA) in seven affected provinces as of 21 October 2026, 75,172 of them among toddlers. South Kalimantan recorded 78,894 cases and West Kalimantan 55,686 between 20 August and 20 October.

The haze also disrupted learning for 1.43 million students at 12,874 schools across Kalimantan in early September. Palangka Raya moved early childhood to junior high school students to remote learning from 29 August, extending it to 28 October. By the end of October, five firefighters, volunteers and residents in Kalimantan had died battling the blazes, according to a compilation by Cantika.

Wildlife has suffered too. The Forestry Ministry recorded 290 animals under national handling as of 8 October, 272 of them handled by conservation agencies (BKSDA) in four Kalimantan provinces, including 96 orangutans and 78 proboscis monkeys. In West Kalimantan, 51 orangutans were rescued from Ketapang and North Kayong.

BRIN Innovation: A Cassava Starch Retardant

Meanwhile, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) is testing CASSA-P, a retardant combining modified cassava starch, ammonium polyphosphate, water and a wetting agent. The mixture is designed to cling longer to vegetation and form a char layer that slows the spread of fire, and can be sprayed from the ground or by drone. BRIN researcher Julinton stressed that its effectiveness and environmental safety still need to be validated through laboratory and field tests, detikInet reported.

With embers still trapped in the peat, BNPB is urging residents and personnel to stay alert. Preventing land burning and field patrols remain key to stopping the fires from flaring up again.

Summarized from Okezone, Cantika and detikInet (in Indonesian).