Jakarta. Indonesia is mobilizing about 300 businesses in South Kalimantan to help extinguish forest and peatland fires that have persisted for nearly two months, as President Prabowo Subianto orders authorities to strengthen firefighting efforts across six priority provinces.

Prabowo chaired a limited meeting on forest and land fires at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Wednesday, where the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported on the latest situation in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, South Sumatra, Riau, and Jambi.

The amount of land still affected by fires in the six provinces has fallen significantly from about 1,000 hectares reported by the BNPB chief last week to 209 hectares currently, according to the government.

Smoke remains thick in some areas, particularly West and Central Kalimantan. In Central Kalimantan, poor visibility has disrupted normal flight operations at Tjilik Riwut Airport over the past week.

Prabowo called for firefighting efforts to be intensified, including by expanding ground operations, optimizing aerial operations, and continuing weather modification operations where conditions allow.

The president also asked officials to prepare options for deploying aircraft with larger water-bombing capacity to accelerate firefighting.

In South Kalimantan, the government is taking a broader approach by involving the private sector in the response. Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, deputy coordinating minister for food affairs, said about 300 businesses would be assigned to fire-prone zones as part of a coordinated operation with government agencies.

“We are inviting no fewer than 300 businesses in South Kalimantan to contribute to firefighting efforts,” Hanif said on Wednesday.

The government aims to extinguish fires in the province’s main hotspot, known as Ring 1, within one to two weeks. The area covers about 3,000 hectares of degraded peatland, making fires difficult to contain.

Authorities are accelerating the operation because water supplies are becoming increasingly limited, Hanif said.

About 3,500 personnel are being deployed daily, supported by more than 300 water pumps and 30 pieces of heavy equipment. But firefighters have struggled to contain the blazes as new hotspots emerge after others are extinguished, stretching personnel, equipment, and logistical resources.

“Once we put out a fire in one location, another emerges because of limited personnel, equipment, and logistics,” Hanif said.

The government will therefore deploy resources simultaneously across identified hotspots to prevent fires from spreading.

Beyond firefighting, the 300 businesses will help establish fire-monitoring posts with local communities in high-risk areas. The posts will support patrols and early detection, including of fires that may have been deliberately started.

For longer-term prevention, the government plans to build canal blocks and groundwater wells in areas facing water shortages. Hanif said the government would not rely solely on weather modification operations, which depend on sufficient atmospheric moisture.

“The permanent solution is to prepare landscapes that are resilient to forest and land fires,” he said.

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