Indonesia's Forest Fires Face Severe Water Shortage Challenges in Suppression Efforts

The suppression efforts for forest and land fires (Karhutla) in Indonesia are facing severe challenges in securing essential water sources, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut), through Minister Raja Juli Antoni, explained that while ground-based firefighting is significantly more effective than aerial water bombing, water scarcity on the ground is hindering progress. "Technically, we are meeting the demands from the regions, but in reality on the ground, water sources remain a challenge, even with the installation of boreholes," Antoni stated during a media briefing. He cited an incident in South Sumatra, near a toll road, where a fire had spread far from the single available water source, making containment difficult. According to Antoni, ground teams have successfully extinguished fires covering 17.5 hectares, whereas water bombing has only managed to cover 2.5 hectares. Despite this, water bombing continues to be employed as one of the methods to combat fires in various locations across Sumatra and Kalimantan. Forest fires are a recurring social problem in Indonesia during the dry season, leading to air pollution and economic losses. Fires in peatlands, in particular, can spread underground, making them exceptionally difficult to extinguish.