Entering the 2025 dry season, Banjarbaru’s Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) confirmed 21 outbreaks of karhutla, prompting the city to adopt a status siaga karhutla. while in neighboring Sarawak, Malaysia, officials are mobilizing state-wide resources to contain 220 detected hotspotsand safeguard vulnerable peatlands.
As Borneo’s dry season deepens, authorities on both sides of the island have ramped up fire-prevention and suppression measures in response to a sharp rise in hotspots. In South Kalimantan, Indonesia, the city of Banjarbaru has declared a karhutla (forest-and-land fire) alert after recording more than 21 fire incidents, while in neighboring Sarawak, Malaysia, officials are mobilizing state-wide resources to contain 220 detected hotspots and safeguard vulnerable peatlands.
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Banjarbaru on High Alert Amid 21 Fire Incidents
Entering the 2025 dry season, Banjarbaru’s Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) confirmed 21 outbreaks of karhutla, prompting the city to adopt a status siaga karhutla. On the evening of July 29, a blaze erupted around 7:36 p.m. WITAin scrubland near Gunung Kupang on Jalan Cempaka Baru, Cempaka District. BPBD head Zaini Syahranie reported that the fire—caused by illegal waste burning—consumed 0.3 hectares before crews deployed a 4,000-liter water supply unit and a rescue team to bring it under control.
Despite the heightened alert, Syahranie stressed that the situation remains “safe and manageable.” A joint command post—staffed by BPBD, TNI and Polri—conducts daily patrols of high-risk areas. The region’s Operations and Logistics Center (Pusdalops) logged 23.2 hectares of burned land to date; BPBD teams have successfully extinguished 8.03 hectares of that total.
At a July 29 coordination meeting, Acting Assistant for Governance and Welfare for South Kalimantan, Muhammad Muslim, noted that both Hulu Sungai Selatan and Banjarbaru are now under fire-alert status. “These inputs will guide the governor’s decisions on escalating preventive measures,” he said, emphasizing preparations for an even drier August. Under gubernatorial command, agencies are accelerating karhutla prevention and control plans across the province.
Sarawak Mobilizes Response to 220 Hotspots
Across the border, Sarawak’s Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas disclosed that 220 hotspots had been detected statewide by midday amid escalating heat and drought. The State Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) has activated fire-mitigation teams and water-supply units, while monitoring the Air Pollution Index (API)—currently at a concerning 160 in Mukah, yet healthy elsewhere.
In a coordination briefing, representatives from the Malaysian Meteorological Department, Department of Irrigation and Drainage, Natural Resources and Environment Board (NREB), Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba), Rural Water Supply Department and Welfare Department outlined collaborative strategies. NREB has deployed drones for early smoke detection, crucial for preventing fires from spreading into combustible peatlands—a terrain that has already seen 56 hectares burn in Mukah alone.
To tackle remote blazes, Bomba dispatched a water-bombing helicopter in Mukah, after an amphibious aircraft option remained grounded in Kuala Lumpur. Uggah urged plantations, landowners and the public to halt open burning and immediately report any fire signs. “Early action is vital,” he said, noting that timely detection and rapid response can spare acres of peat from ignition.
As Borneo confronts escalating fire risks this dry season, coordinated patrols, advanced detection technologies and cross-border vigilance are essential to protecting both communities and the islands’ fragile ecosystems.
Editorial Note: We are continuously monitoring the total number of fire hotspots across Borneo and will provide updates as new information becomes available.
