“Based on President Prabowo Subianto’s directive, we must remain on alert until the end of August,” Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq said on Tuesday.
The alert status is based on the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency’s (BMKG’s) forecast of the dry season peaking until August, he informed.
The minister added that regions with high potential for forest and land fires are Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan.
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According to the minister, the risk of forest and land fires in those areas is due to the dried peat ecosystem. In combination with dry weather over several days and burning, it can trigger forest and land fires in vulnerable areas.
Nurofiq emphasized that fires in peatlands can only occur when they are deliberately set.
“We have also discussed with the head of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) to conduct weather modification operations in the seven vulnerable provinces, as long as the condition allows for cloud seeding,” he said.
He assured that the government will continue to conduct weather modification operations until the end of August to prevent and curb any forest and land fires.
According to the Ministry of Forestry’s Forest and Land Fire Monitoring System (SiPongi), data indicates that 8,594 hectares of forest and land have been burned as of June 2025.
On August 1, 2025, the president directed ministers in the Red and White Cabinet to anticipate forest and land fires, which are frequent during the dry season, especially in vulnerable areas such as Kalimantan and Sumatra.
The directive coincided with a report from the BMKG, which recorded 22 new hotspots in Kalimantan, nine new hotspots in Sumatra, and two new hotspots in Sulawesi as of July 30.
Related news: Cloud seeding used to battle wildfires in W Sumatra: BPBD
Translator: Prisca Triferna, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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