inp.polri.go.id - Palangka Raya. Central Kalimantan Regional Police Chief Inspector General Iwan Kurniawan reiterated his commitment to fully enforcing the law on forest and land fires. To date, more than 140 cases have been handled, with 46 individuals from the community named as suspects and several corporations also named as suspects.
"We continue to enforce the law on forest and land fires. We also urge all parties to work together to protect their respective lands and territories from burning," said Iwan while reviewing the handling of forest and land fires in Palangka Raya on Thursday (10/29/2026).
Iwan emphasized that handling forest and land fires is not sufficient through extinguishing fires and legal enforcement alone. Prevention efforts also require community involvement to prevent fires from spreading, especially in forest and peatland areas.
"We must all work together to protect our lands and territories from burning, especially in forest areas. If a fire occurs, the impact can cause haze that is detrimental to the community, especially children and the elderly," he said.
Furthermore, Iwan conveyed this commitment during a visit to several areas affected by forest and land fires in Katingan Regency. During the visit, Iwan was accompanied by Katingan Sub-regional Police Chief, Superintendent Dodik Hartono, and several related officials to monitor fire management.
The group inspected the fire site on Tjilik Riwut Road, Km 17, Kasongan Lama Village, Katingan Hilir District, at around 10:05 a.m. At the location, the Regional Police Chief monitored the cooling process of the still-burning hotspots.
Iwan explained that Katingan Regency is one of six priority areas for forest and land fire management in Central Kalimantan. Peatland conditions and fire history are considerations in determining which areas require special attention.
To strengthen prevention and extinguishing efforts, Dodik requested that they optimize hotspot monitoring and handling through the Sipongi application. He also requested that the use of the NASA application be considered to help identify locations that require priority.
"It's raining continuously now, but we know that although it's been raining for two days, there are still areas where the fires haven't been extinguished. Therefore, I hope we'll focus on these areas when extinguishing the fires," he said.
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