Antara News·Indonesia·Friday, September 11, 2026 at 12:02 PM

IKN authority intensifies aerial patrols to prevent new wildfires

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M Ghofar, Cindy Frishanti Octavia

Nusantara (ANTARA) - The Nusantara Capital City (IKN) Authority and partner agencies are intensifying aerial monitoring to detect new hotspots and prevent forest and land fires from reigniting or spreading around the planned capital.

Its partners include the Indonesian military (TNI), National Police (Polri), Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), and State Intelligence Agency (BIN).

“Aerial patrols are being conducted to verify that areas previously treated through ground and aerial firefighting, including water-bombing operations, are fully extinguished,” IKN Authority official Danis H. Sumadilaga said here Friday.

Aerial monitoring found no remaining smoke near kilometer 31 of the Balikpapan-Samarinda Toll Road. However, smoke reappeared in Wonotirto, where a fire had previously been extinguished.

“New smoke was also spotted in Muara Jawa Sub-district. These fires are generally dynamic; the absence of smoke does not necessarily mean the situation is resolved,” Sumadilaga said.

The monitoring began with an aerial patrol using an H225M Caracal helicopter that departed from Dhomber Air Force Base in Sepinggan, Balikpapan, on Thursday (September 10).

The patrol covered several locations previously identified as wildfire concerns, including KM 31 of the Balikpapan-Samarinda Toll Road, Wonotirto, Muara Jawa and Bukit Tengkorak 1 in Bukit Soeharto Grand Forest Park.

Sumadilaga said the fires’ dynamic nature means monitoring cannot stop after flames are extinguished. Re-emerging smoke could indicate lingering embers or hotspots requiring immediate attention.

The IKN Authority and relevant agencies are therefore conducting continuous monitoring using data from various institutions to determine responses, including aerial operations or deploying ground personnel.

“We continuously monitor, observe and act. Based on monitoring data, we determine what can be done from the air and ground. This is needed to ensure no new hotspots emerge,” he said.

Besides extinguishing fires, Sumadilaga said the team also wetted areas considered at risk of reignition to keep the IKN area safe and under control.

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