National Forest and Forestry Hotspots Down, South Sumatra (Sumsel) Records 184 Spots and Riau Zero

JAKARTA, GARISBUMI.com – The number of Hotspots or hot spots with a high level of confidence nationally fell slightly from 479 to 475 spots. However, control of forest and land fires or karhutla was strengthened in South Sumatra (Sumsel), which recorded 184 spots, the highest among the six priority provinces.

Data from the Ministry of Forestry's Forestry and Forestry Monitoring System or SiPongi as of Thursday, September 17 2026, at 21.05 WIB, shows that the number of Hotspots in South Sumatra (Sumsel) has increased sharply from 123 to 184 points.

In contrast, Riau did not record any Hotspots with a high level of confidence in the last monitoring. The day before, the province still recorded 11 points.

SiPongi data comes from NASA Terra/Aqua, SNPP and NOAA-20 satellite monitoring.

Distribution of Hotspots in Six Priority Provinces

Apart from South Sumatra (Sumsel) and Riau, the development of Hotspots with a high level of confidence is also being monitored in four other priority provinces.

Central Kalimantan (Kalteng) recorded 61 Hotspots, down from 102. West Kalimantan (Kalbar) increased from 21 to 30 points, while Jambi increased from 12 to 15 points.

Meanwhile, Hotspots in South Kalimantan fell from 11 to five points.

With these developments, control of forest and land fires in South Sumatra (Sumsel) is focused on increasing patrols, ground checks, extinguishing, wetting and cooling affected areas.

Minister of Forestry Reviews Forest and Land Fires and Sumatran Elephant Habitat

Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni on Thursday, September 17 2026, directly inspected the handling of forest and land fires as well as the condition of the Sumatran Elephant habitat in the Padang Sugihan Wildlife Reserve, South Sumatra (Sumsel).

The inspection was carried out at the Elephant Conservation Center or PKG Line 21. The Padang Sugihan area is one of the important habitat areas for Sumatran elephants.

A total of 29 assisted elephants in PKG Line 21 are reported to be in good condition. Temporary monitoring results also show that all the elephants have not experienced health problems due to exposure to forest and land fire smoke.

The Ministry of Forestry explained that Hotspots are an indication of surface temperature anomalies detected by satellites. The appearance of a hotspot does not necessarily indicate a single fire event because one fire can produce several hot spots.

Therefore, every hotspot indication must be verified through direct checks to determine actual conditions in the field.

53 Air Fleet Alerted

Manggala Agni together with the TNI, Polri, BNPB, BMKG, BPBD, local government, community, business world and related elements continue to carry out integrated patrols and field inspections.

Other efforts include direct extinguishing, blocking the spread of fire, mopping up, wetting and cooling the affected area.

The government also alerted 53 air fleet units. A total of 34 fleets are prepared for water bombing operations, while 19 fleets are used for air patrols and supporting Weather Modification Operations or OMC.

Air support was reinforced with three CH-47 Chinook helicopters from Japan which had been prepared to assist with water bombing operations.

The deployment of the air fleet will adjust to fire conditions, hotspot verification results, weather conditions and aviation safety aspects.

El Nino Increases the Risk of Forest and Land Fires

BMKG estimates that the influence of El Nino is in the very strong category and the dry season will still cause relatively dry atmospheric conditions in most parts of Indonesia from 18 to 24 September 2026.

This condition has the potential to increase the risk of forest and land fires and expand the smoke haze. However, there is still a chance of rain locally, including in Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra (Sumsel), West Kalimantan (Kalbar) and Central Kalimantan (Kalteng) from 18 to 20 September 2026.

The period prone to forest and land fires is estimated to continue in the coming weeks.

In a limited meeting on Wednesday, September 16 2026, the President asked government officials to maintain preparedness and strengthen coordination to face the threat of forest and land fires.

The President also instructed to take action against corporations which, based on verification results, were proven to be responsible for the fires. This action can range from revocation of permits to investigations into suspected criminal elements.

Smoke Disrupts Flights in Palembang

The impact of the haze was quite felt in South Sumatra (Sumsel) on Thursday morning. Visibility at Palembang's Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport had dropped to around 700 meters.

This condition caused four flights that were about to land to have to hold and experience delays. Visibility then gradually improved after 08.00 WIB.

In West Kalimantan (Kalbar), BMKG maritime weather forecasts around Pontianak's Dwikora Harbor show hazy air with visibility of around one kilometer during several observation periods.

Air quality in a number of areas also still needs to be monitored. Monitoring PM2.5 concentrations shows that most parts of Indonesia are in the good to moderate category. However, a number of areas in Sumatra and Kalimantan are in the unhealthy to very unhealthy category, even dangerous in certain locations.

PM2.5 concentrations in Pekanbaru were observed to be in the very unhealthy category. People in Jambi are still feeling the haze.

Three Orangutans Rescued in West Kalimantan (Kalbar)

Apart from extinguishing fires, the Ministry of Forestry rescues wild animals affected by forest and land fires.

The West Kalimantan (Kalbar) Natural Resources Conservation Center together with the community and conservation partners rescued three orangutans in North Kayong Regency on Thursday, September 17 2026.

The rescue operation involved the Wildlife Rescue Unit Team and Operations Under the Control of the West Kalimantan (Kalbar) BKSDA, the Indonesian Nature Rehabilitation Initiation Foundation, the Palung Foundation, as well as village forest management communities.

People who find wild animals out of their habitat or affected by fire are asked not to catch, chase, feed or evacuate the animals independently.

Residents are advised to maintain a safe distance, note the location, document conditions if possible, then contact the nearest KSDA Hall officer.

People are asked to be aware of the impact of smoke

The Ministry of Forestry urges people in affected areas to continue monitoring air quality. If conditions worsen, people are advised to reduce outdoor activities and use masks when they have to do activities outside the home.

Special attention needs to be given to children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people who have respiratory problems or chronic diseases.

The public and business actors are also reminded again not to clear or clear land by burning.

If they find smoke, hot spots, burning activities, or affected wildlife, the public is asked to immediately report it to officers so that treatment can be carried out as early as possible.