inp.polri.go.id - Central Kalimantan. The Chief of the Central Kalimantan Regional Police, Inspector General Iwan Kurniawan, directly inspected the handling of forest and land fires in East Kotawaringin Regency on Tuesday (8/4/2026).
The inspection was conducted through both air and ground patrols to map hotspots and the locations of ongoing fires.
According to information received by Iwan, there were 61 hotspots spread across various areas in East Kotawaringin. However, based on the results of the aerial patrols, only five were confirmed to have fires and were prioritized for officers' handling.
"Today I inspected the handling of forest and land fires in the Sampit area. Previously, we conducted aerial patrols to observe hotspots and fire locations from the air. From the data we obtained, there were around 61 hotspots, but only five were actually experiencing forest and land fires," he said on Tuesday (8/4/2026).
In addition to conducting aerial patrols, Iwan also coordinated with the East Kotawaringin Regent, Halikinnor, the Chief of East Kotawaringin Sub-regional Police, Superintendent Resky Maulana Zulkarnain, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), and elements of the Forest and Land Fire Task Force.
The coordination, held at the Aman Nusa II 2026 Contingency Post for East Kotawaringin Forest and Land Fire Management, was conducted to determine the most effective strategy for extinguishing the forest and land fires.
According to him, with the limited personnel and firefighting facilities, their actions require priority measures.
"We discussed firefighting techniques and methods. Due to the limited infrastructure compared to the number of fires, we must determine which locations should be prioritized first," he said.
He added that all available resources will be mobilized to expedite forest and land fire control. Furthermore, the Regency Government has proposed additional water-bombing helicopter assistance to the Central Kalimantan BPBD.
"We will mobilize all available resources. The Regent has also requested water-bombing assistance from the province to assist with aerial firefighting efforts," he explained.
Iwan hopes that the collaboration of all government agencies and the community will be able to suppress the spread of forest and land fires, considering that the peak of the dry season is expected to last until September.
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