Indonesia
Society
Firefighters and military personnel spray water on Aug. 9, 2026, in an attempt to extinguish a forest fire in Ogan Ilir regency, South Sumatra. (Reuters/Abriansyah Liberto)
With more than 107,000 hectares already ravaged by land and forest fires this year, the government is scrambling to strengthen its response as a prolonged dry spell and worsening climate conditions threaten to fuel a wider fire season.The government has designated six fire-prone provinces as priorities for fire control, namely Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan, while preparing firefighting aircraft and expanding weather modification operations to induce rainfall.
Official data and independent analysis show that fire activity this year has surpassed levels recorded during the same period in 2019, when Indonesia experienced one of its most devastating fire seasons in recent history.
