Indonesia detects 61 fire hotspots near new capital city Nusantara

An arieal view of Indonesia's new capital city Nusantara, as seen during a weather modification operation.

JAKARTA, Sept 3 (TokoKata) — Indonesia's disaster agency has detected 61 fire hotspots covering about 400 hectares of land in two districts surrounding the country's new capital Nusantara, as authorities step up efforts to contain forest and land fires.

The hotspots were detected in Kutai Kartanegara and North Penajam Paser districts in East Kalimantan, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) said on Thursday.

"Sixty-one fire hotspots were found, with 400 hectares burned in Kutai Kartanegara and North Penajam Paser districts," BNPB acting head of its disaster data, information and communications centre Berton SP Panjaitan said at a press briefing.

A joint team comprising the Nusantara Capital Authority, North Penajam Paser disaster agency, military, police and Manggala Agni firefighting personnel has been deployed to contain the fires and prevent them from spreading.

BNPB plans to reposition helicopters from Banjarmasin and Papua to support firefighting operations, Berton said. Difficult access to some locations and limited water supplies were among the main challenges.

Fire breaks out near protected forest area

One of the fires occurred on privately owned land in Samboja Barat subdistrict in Kutai Kartanegara, about 20 metres from the Samboja Special Purpose Forest Area (KHDTK), which lies within the wider Nusantara region.

The fire broke out on Tuesday in Sungai Merdeka village, according to Nanang Riana, manager of the Samboja KHDTK.

Local residents reported smoke at about 3 p.m. local time, prompting Nanang and firefighting teams to inspect the area. Fire was found at three locations, including one overlapping the boundary of the protected forest area.

The fire was brought under control by about 8:15 p.m., preventing it from spreading into the Samboja KHDTK, officials said.

The area covers about 3,517.53 hectares and is an important habitat for protected wildlife, including clouded leopards, sun bears, langurs, long-tailed macaques and pangolins, as well as various reptiles.

Nanang said officials suspected the fire may have been deliberately started to clear land for an oil palm plantation after workers found oil palm planting stakes and piles of vegetation that appeared to have been prepared for burning.

"This was not a naturally occurring fire. It was deliberately set because the location had already been prepared and vegetation piled up to be burned," Nanang said.

The allegation has not been established by authorities.

Police investigate cause

Police have inspected the site and are investigating the cause of the fire and the identity of the landowner, said Inspector Andri Riyanto, criminal investigation unit chief at Samboja police station.

"We are conducting an in-depth investigation. We have inspected the site and gathered information from the forest and land fire task force and Manggala Agni personnel who were at the scene," Andri said.

Several workers reportedly hired by the landowner were present while firefighters were battling the blaze, but formal questioning had not yet taken place because of conditions at the site during the firefighting operation.

Police plan to summon and question witnesses, particularly people who were at the location and those who first reported the fire, Andri said.

Nanang said the risk of forest fires and encroachment around the Samboja KHDTK had increased since the area became associated with the development of Nusantara.

Fires elsewhere in Indonesia

BNPB also detected 18 fire hotspots in Indonesia's West Papua province, where fires had burned about 223.5 hectares. Some 24 hectares had been brought under control, Berton said.

Air quality in the affected area ranged from moderate to unhealthy, with visibility between 7 km and 10 km.

Two water-bombing aircraft had dropped more than 123,000 litres of water and helped extinguish fires covering 14 hectares, he said.

In Lampung province, authorities reported no remaining fire hotspots after 1,715 hectares had been burned.

The government's weather modification operation in Lampung was halted on Sept. 2 after four consecutive days without detected hotspots. Elephants in Way Kambas National Park were safe and had not been affected, BNPB said.