Antara News·Indonesia·Tuesday, November 10, 2026 at 05:24 AM UTC

BNPB seeks field checks of suspected fires in South Papua

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M.Riezko BEP, Rahmad Nasution

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is calling for on-the-ground verification of suspected land clearing by fire in forest concession areas in South Papua.

BNPB Chief Kristomei Sianturi said the agency had coordinated with local governments, the military and police to inspect the affected areas.

The verification follows a November 4 letter from the forestry minister to the South Papua governor requesting clarification about land conditions in the province.

At a limited meeting on forest and land fire management at the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs on Monday, BNPB presented preliminary hotspot data for concessions held by PT Merauke Sarjaya and PT Selaras Inti Semesta.

"The data still require field verification to establish the actual conditions and determine follow-up measures within each agency's authority," Kristomei said.

He said BNPB was also encouraging ministries and government agencies to integrate their data to improve the accuracy of the national forest and land fire monitoring system.

Information on forestry permits, cultivation rights (HGU), plantations and mining concessions is needed to supplement the agency's existing records.

"We need data from relevant ministries and agencies on forestry permits, HGU, plantations and mining. More complete and accurate information would enable this system to serve as an early-warning tool to prevent fires," he said.

Strengthening the monitoring system is essential as forest and land fires continue to affect several parts of Indonesia.

BNPB's Geographic Information System and NASA's Fire Information for Resource Management System (FIRMS) recorded 2,529 hotspots and 976 fire detections as of 6 p.m. on Nov. 8. Burned area totaled 5,335 hectares, with 1,925 hectares still burning.

Central Kalimantan recorded the highest number of hotspots, with 443, followed by South Papua with 427 and Southeast Sulawesi with 279.

In terms of burned area, Central Kalimantan recorded 1,098 hectares, followed by South Papua with 830 hectares and Southeast Sulawesi with 566 hectares.

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