Antara News·Indonesia·Wednesday, August 26, 2026 at 10:54 AM

Indonesia turns to borewells as drought hampers firefighting

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Sean FM, Rahmad Nasution

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's Forestry Ministry is relying on borewells to secure water for fighting widespread forest and land fires as prolonged drought hampers firefighting operations across parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Agus Yasin, head of public information services at the ministry, said on Wednesday that the prolonged drought had made weather modification and artificial rain increasingly difficult and less effective.

“Cloud formations are becoming increasingly scarce. As a result, more ground personnel are being deployed, making firefighting efforts more effective,” he said during an online discussion.

The latest data from Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) showed that extreme dry conditions had persisted for an extended period and could continue for another two months, Agus said.

“BMKG told us that the dry season has lasted nearly 30 days without rain. This could potentially extend to 60 days without rain,” he said.

To address surface water shortages caused by evaporation, joint teams from the Forestry Ministry, military, police, and other agencies are drilling wells deep into peatland areas.

The move is based on the fact that peatlands form hydrological units capable of retaining water reserves at certain depths, Agus said.

“We simply drill wells directly into the ground to reach the water. This is now being maximized to control fires, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan,” Agus said.

Separately, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni had called for additional borewells to address water shortages while tackling forest and land fires in South Kalimantan ahead of the peak of the dry season in September.

He said firefighters were already using several borewells, including those around Syamsudin Noor International Airport, where the surrounding land is prone to fires.

“Borewells have become the main water source when firefighting teams have difficulty obtaining water,” Raja said on August 23.

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