Tanjung Puting Fire Volunteers Quit as Ministry Defends Water Bombing Effort

Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) has responded to volunteers and local residents who announced they were stepping back from tackling forest and land fires in Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan. Ministry spokesperson Ristianto Pribadi said the government understands the difficulty of conditions on the ground, citing the vast affected area, hard-to-reach hotspots and the peatland terrain that makes fires hard to extinguish.

Volunteers from the Green Orangutan Foundation of Kalimantan (YOHK) and the Indonesian Tour Guides Association (HPI) working in Kotawaringin Barat said in a social media statement that they were withdrawing because their firefighting efforts had not received maximum support, despite having deployed their full capabilities. The ministry did not dispute the withdrawal but said suppression operations continue.

Ristianto said the ministry first requested aerial water bombing on 9 September 2026, with operations carried out on 20-22 September 2026. Fires were not fully contained after that effort, he said, and Tanjung Puting park authorities submitted a fresh request on 2 October 2026 for Kotawaringin Barat and Seruyan regencies, followed by a letter on 9 October 2026 seeking additional targets around Pos Tanjung Harapan in the Pesalat resort.

Thick haze has been a major obstacle, limiting visibility and forcing safety considerations for helicopter flights, Ristianto said. He added that coordination with relevant agencies continues so that aerial support can be carried out whenever operational conditions allow.

The ministry said it has deployed Operational Control Assistance personnel from technical units under the Directorate General of Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation (KSDAE), along with additional budget support, procurement of firefighting equipment and intensive monitoring and evaluation. Firefighting at Tanjung Puting involves government agencies, the military and police, regional administrations, communities, the private sector, NGOs and tourism operators around the area.

Ristianto said handling fires in peatland ecosystems requires sustained effort and support from many parties. He said the ministry is prioritizing personnel safety, fire control and protection of the conservation area and wildlife habitat, particularly orangutans, in Tanjung Puting National Park.