Indonesia’s Ministry of Forestry has imposed administrative sanctions on six forest concession holders after inspections found fires across a combined 1,511.55 hectares in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan.
The six companies sanctioned are PT WEL, PT FI, PT MPK, and PT WSP in West Kalimantan, PT NES in Central Kalimantan, and PT PSR in East Kalimantan. PT WEL recorded the largest burned area at 760.51 hectares, followed by PT MPK at 394.83 hectares, PT WSP at 107.70 hectares, PT FI at 95.87 hectares, PT PSR at 82.26 hectares, and PT NES at 70.38 hectares.
Five of the companies were ordered to comply with government enforcement measures. PT MPK received both a business permit suspension and a government enforcement order after fires on its concession were found to be extensive and recurrent.
Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement Dwi Januanto Nugroho said the sanctions were intended to address corporate non-compliance, compel concession holders to improve fire prevention, and restore affected areas.
“Business permits give companies the right to manage forest areas, but they also carry an obligation to protect them and prevent damage,” he said in a statement in Jakarta on Tuesday (25th August, 2026). “Administrative sanctions are used to compel improvement, restoration and compliance. But where criminal elements are found, criminal proceedings will continue.”
Nugroho added that law enforcement would continue where investigations identify suspected criminal violations related to forest and land fires. He stressed that the impact of such fires extends beyond burned areas, potentially affecting public health, education, aviation, transportation, and economic activity.
“No party should profit while the public and the state bear the consequences,” Nugroho said, adding that law enforcement must protect affected communities and public interests while ensuring compliance with national law.
The ministry has ordered the companies to improve their forest and land fire prevention systems and restore affected areas. Required measures include ensuring the readiness of firefighting teams, equipment, and water sources, as well as maintaining fire monitoring towers, canal-blocking infrastructure, and early detection and response systems.
Companies may also be required to restore vegetation in affected areas. In peatland ecosystems, restoration includes improving hydrological functions through water management, canal blocking, peatland rewetting, and monitoring groundwater levels.
Ardi Risman, Director of Forestry Oversight, Administrative Sanctions and Civil Enforcement, said: “Implementation of the government enforcement orders would be subject to continued evaluation and that companies must fulfil all obligations within specified deadlines.”
Risman noted: “That PT MPK’s permit suspension was imposed alongside the government enforcement order because fires occurred over a large area and repeatedly.”
“If the requirements are not fulfilled, sanctions can be escalated in accordance with the regulations, including the revocation of the business permit,” Risman said.
Four companies in West Kalimantan were previously inspected by the Kalimantan Regional Forestry Law Enforcement Office from 10th–14th August, 2026. Enforcement against PT NES and PT PSR was handled by the Directorate of Forestry Oversight.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said on Tuesday that the ministry’s Directorate General of Law Enforcement is handling 42 forest and land fire cases and that the government would take action regardless of who was responsible.
These cases are in addition to the 72 suspects arrested by Indonesian police in connection with 89 forest and land fire cases across five provinces in Kalimantan and four in Sumatra.
Indonesia’s Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) detected 4,508 hotspots across the country between midnight and 10am local time on Wednesday (26th August). Kalimantan accounted for nearly 8 in 10, or about 78%, with 3,533 hotspots, an increase of 142 from the previous day.
Outside Kalimantan, BMKG recorded 687 hotspots in Sumatra, 194 in Sulawesi, 85 in Java, 57 in Papua and Maluku, and 33 in the Nusa Tenggara islands.
BMKG said atmospheric conditions would remain relatively dry over the coming week due to a very strong El Niño and a positive Indian Ocean Dipole. Low rainfall is expected across much of Kalimantan from late August to mid-September, increasing the risk of drought and forest and land fires.
Haze has disrupted schooling in several areas as air quality deteriorated. In Berau, East Kalimantan, students were told to study from home from 24th–26th August. Distance learning was also introduced in parts of West Kalimantan.
In Jambi province, face-to-face classes from preschool to senior high school were temporarily suspended starting Monday. In Rokan Hulu, Riau, classes shifted online from 26th–28th August.
President Prabowo Subianto on Monday (24th August) instructed officials to strengthen prevention measures, including swift responses to every hotspot.
At a meeting in Palembang, South Sumatra, Subianto said the central government was preparing about 1,000 military and police officers to assist with public outreach. He described forest and land fires as “a very dangerous disaster” because of their impacts, including respiratory problems caused by haze.
For longer-term prevention, Subianto called for more bore wells, reservoirs, and canals in productive peatland areas. He also asked the National Research and Innovation Agency to study how such infrastructure could support productive activities, including fish farming.
The Ministry of Forestry has urged all concession holders to make fire prevention an integral part of forest management, particularly during periods of elevated fire risk. It warned that criminal, administrative, and civil enforcement measures remain available where violations are identified.
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