Inp.polri.go.id - Palangkaraya. The Central Kalimantan Regional Police initiated extensive peatland rewetting operations following surface fire suppression to prevent recurring land and forest fires across the province.

Speaking in Palangka Raya on Thursday (24/9/2026), Central Kalimantan Police Chief Inspector General Iwan Kurniawan explained that peatland fires require deep-soil saturation because subterranean embers continue smoldering and generating hazardous smoke long after surface flames are extinguished.

"Subsurface smoldering produces substantial smoke that harms public health and air quality," he said, adding that joint disaster management task forces remain operational 24 hours a day.

Data from the Central Kalimantan Land and Fire Emergency Command Post logged 4,168 fire incidents burning 13,960.96 hectares as of Wednesday. 

Central Kalimantan law enforcement, the military units, Manggala Agni, and local authorities, continues bolstering preventive infrastructure, including retention basins, canal blocking, deep wells, and monitoring towers, while enforcing land-clearing burning bans.

(mg/inp/pr/rs)