inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) recorded 629 cases of forest and land fires in several regions in Indonesia throughout 2024.

Head of the Disaster Data, Information and Communication Center Abdul Muhari said that of the nine types of disasters that hit Indonesia, forest and land fires are growing in July-October 2024.

He assessed that in July-October, Indonesia had just begun to switch to the dry season and some of them were quite extreme as some areas were experiencing drought without rain.

"The increase was up to hundreds of incidents per month in the July-October period," said Abdul on Friday (1/10/2025).

According to him, the distribution of forest and land fires is almost evenly distributed, from Aceh, North Sumatra, Riau, Riau Islands, Jambi, South Sumatra, Lampung, Bangka Belitung, Central Java, East Java, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, to South Kalimantan.

The fires have burned thousands of hectares of forests and mineral and peat lands.

Of the several regions, South Sumatra Province is an area that experienced quite significant forest and land fires in 2024. Based on data from the Sumatra Region Climate Change and Forest and Land Fire Control Center (BPPIKHL), the area of ​​forest and land fires in South Sumatra was recorded as reaching 9,697 hectares during the period January-September 2024.

Abdul said the forest fire incident has been handled well overall. This was because in addition to being helped by intense rainfall during the rainy season, it was also supported by collaboration from the ministry with related institutions and local governments.

BNPB itself has prepared a number of helicopters for water bombing, aerial monitoring also equipment support and operational assistance funds to areas affected by the forest and land fires. In this case, there are six helicopters deployed to South Sumatra for forest and land fire control.

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