South Sumatra's August Forest Fires Shift from Peat to Mineral Land

In August 2026, South Sumatra recorded 2,849 firespots and hotspots. However, unlike previous land and forest fires (karhutla), a significant number of these incidents occurred on mineral land rather than peatlands. "This data indicates that people are starting to fear burning in peat areas. However, the tradition of burning continues on mineral land," Bayu Prima, GIS and Mapping Technical Officer at Hutan Kita Institut (HaKI), told Mongabay Indonesia on Wednesday (2/9/26). Based on a map of firespots and hotspots recorded by HaKI from NASA satellite data (Modis Terra & Aqua) for the period of August 1-31, 2026, there were 668 firespots and hotspots on peatlands and 2,181 on mineral lands, spread across 17 districts and cities in South Sumatra. Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) Regency and Musi Banyuasin (Muba) Regency remained the areas with the highest number of karhutla in South Sumatra, with OKI recording 750 firespots and Muba with 443. They were followed by Muaraenim Regency (345), Banyuasin Regency (259), Ogan Komering Ulu Timur Regency (180), Penukal Abab Lematang Ilir Regency (179), Musirawas Utara Regency (149), Ogan Ilir Regency (144), Lahat Regency (113), and Ogan Komering Ulu (OKU) Regency. Districts with fewer than 100 firespots included Musirawas Regency, OKU Selatan Regency, Empat Lawang Regency, Palembang City, Prabumulih City, Lubuklinggau City, and Pagaralam City. Notably, only in Banyuasin Regency were the majority of firespots and hotspots located in peatlands, reaching 53 incidents, while on mineral land, there were only 34. This presents a different trend compared to other regions. Source: Mongabay Indonesia