Jakarta. Most forest and land fires in Kalimantan and Sumatra were almost certainly deliberately set by individuals or companies for various purposes, including land clearing, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said on Tuesday.

“It is almost certain that the cause is deliberate burning, not wildfires, whether carried out by individuals, ordinary farmers, or corporations,” Raja told a press conference at his office in Jakarta.

He said the number of hotspots in several fire-prone regions had declined as of Aug. 31, attributing the improvement to a combination of firefighting efforts and changes in behavior among communities and companies that had stopped using fire to clear land.

According to Raja, the number of hotspots in Riau and Jambi had fallen to zero, while South Sumatra recorded 20 hotspots, down from 39 a day earlier.

He said fires in South Sumatra were particularly difficult to extinguish because of the region’s peatlands, where fires can burn beneath the surface and persist for extended periods.

In South Kalimantan, the number of hotspots increased to 22 from 18 a day earlier.

West Kalimantan recorded 272 hotspots, down sharply from 455, while Central Kalimantan reported 253, compared with 308 the previous day.

Despite the overall decline, Raja warned that authorities must remain vigilant as September is expected to mark a critical period in efforts to contain forest and land fires amid El Niño conditions.

“We must remain extremely vigilant because, for me, September is when the real battle begins,” Raja said. “September is the peak of El Niño, so we have to stay alert.”

According to Forestry Ministry data, forest and land fires have burned more than 202,000 hectares across Indonesia so far in 2026.

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