Antara News·Indonesia·Tuesday, September 15, 2026 at 03:31 AM

Access hampers firefighting in Indonesia's Berbak National Park

Translate

Agus S, Rahmad Nasution

Tanjab Timur, Jambi (ANTARA) - Berbak and Sembilang National Park Chief Yunaidi said access problems were hampering efforts to fight forest and land fires inside the park, making it difficult for firefighters to reach the hotspots.

“I just monitored Labuhan Pering. Personnel cannot enter; there are only two access routes. The nearest is 15 kilometers inland, but the river is dry,” he said.

Of three mapped entry points, only two are accessible, Yunaidi said in Jambi on Monday.

The first routes through Labuhan Pering and Sungai Benuh Villages in Sadu Subdistrict, Tanjung Jabung Timur District, about 15 to 20 kilometers from the fire area.

The second option, ground firefighting through Kumpeh in Muaro Jambi District, is not feasible because of difficult terrain, he said.

The most practical route to the fire zone is through natural waterways from downstream to upstream, followed by an overland route inside Berbak National Park, he said.

He added that winds blowing from north to south, from South Sumatra toward Jambi, were worsening the situation.

As a result, fires have begun spreading into the Berbak sector of the national park from the Sembilang side, he said.

Aerial firefighting, or water bombing, is continuing under the Jambi provincial forest and land fire task force, while joint teams are also working on ground operations.

“We saw three fire hotspots on satellite imagery. We continue our efforts, including water bombing inside the park,” he said.

Jambi Governor Al Haris said fires were still detected, including in Berbak and Sembilang National Park on the Tanah Pilih village side, Banyuasin II Subdistrict, Banyuasin District, South Sumatra.

Firefighters are continuing ground and aerial operations, deploying four water-bombing helicopters to tackle fires that are difficult to reach from the ground.

“Recent monitoring detected 134 hotspots, with four major fire spots targeted by the task force,” Al Haris said.

View the original on Antara News →

KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.