Indonesia Continues Firefighting Efforts on 209 Hectares of Land

The Head of Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Suharyanto, reported on Wednesday (23/9) that 209.78 hectares of forest and land fires are still active and firefighting efforts are ongoing. Suharyanto stated that his agency is continuously working to extinguish the fires occurring in Sumatra and Kalimantan. The report was delivered during a limited meeting discussing the latest developments in forest and land fires (karhutla) with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, held hybridly via video conference from the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday (23/9). "As of today, there are 209.78 hectares that are still being extinguished. We are monitoring this day by day, aiming to extinguish a large area each day," said Suharyanto, quoting an official statement from the Presidential Secretariat. President Prabowo was accompanied by Seskab (Cabinet Secretary) Teddy Indra Wijaya and Mensesneg (Minister of State Secretary) Prasetyo Hadi during the meeting. Meanwhile, Suharyanto and the Head of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Teuku Faisal Fathani, presented their reports from their respective locations via video conference. According to Teddy, the President desired the latest report from the Head of BNPB regarding the forest and land fire situation in Kalimantan, particularly West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, and Kalimantan as a whole, as well as in Sumatra. Furthermore, the government continues to intensify various efforts to resolve these forest and land fires, including through weather modification operations (OMC). The Head of BNPB explained that the OMC will be conducted at least until the rainy season returns to normal.