September 11, 2026 | 02:05 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Several posts on Facebook [archive] and Threads claimed that forest fires in Kalimantan are natural events. This content circulated as forest fires affected various regions, including Kalimantan.
The account stated that forest fires in Kalimantan are not caused by human intention or activities. The fires are said to occur because coal evaporates from beneath the ground during the dry season and in extreme heat. Is it true that forest fires in Kalimantan occur due to natural processes?
FACT CHECK
Tempo verified the content through interviews with researchers and confirmation from credible sources. The result is that forest and land fires in Kalimantan are not natural events, but are triggered by human activities.
Prof. Muh. Taufik, a Professor of Hydrology at IPB University, stated that conditions necessary for a fire to occur include a source of ignition, oxygen, and fuel. Without these three elements, a fire is impossible.
According to him, the dry season in Kalimantan leads to forest fires. Due to the weather, dried peatlands act as fuel. Lowering the groundwater level increases the oxygen space in peatlands.
However, peatlands still require a source of ignition. Natural ignition only occurs when the temperature exceeds 100 degrees C or when struck by lightning.
Taufik explained that lightning is unlikely to occur in dry, cloudless conditions. "Therefore, the most rational cause of fires in Kalimantan's peatlands is due to human activities," Taufik told Tempo via WhatsApp on Saturday, September 5, 2026.
Tempo mapped the peatland areas in Kalimantan using geospatial data from the Geospatial Information Agency (BIG). The image was compared with Himawari satellite imagery from BMKG on September 5, 2026, which recorded the forest fire hotspots in Kalimantan.
The results show that most hotspots are located in peatlands, particularly in West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan.
Rijal Ramdani, an environmental policy researcher at Muhammadiyah University Yogyakarta, explained that the source of many forest fires is human activity, including the practice of burning land for farming.
Furthermore, El Nino triggers a decrease in rainfall and extends dry conditions. As a result, vegetation and peatlands lose moisture and become easily flammable fuel. "The fire can also spread beneath the surface, making the extinguishing process much more difficult," said Rijal on the Muhammadiyah University Yogyakarta website on July 2, 2026.
Investigation of the Forest Fire Causes
Tempo reported that the Ministry of Forestry imposed sanctions on six companies holding Forest Utilization Concession for contributing to the haze from forest and land fires in Kalimantan.
Supervision by the Ministry of Forestry revealed that six companies had started fires in their concession areas, covering a total of 1,511.55 hectares spread across West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and East Kalimantan.
Five companies were subjected to government coercion sanctions, and one company had its business permit frozen. These six companies are PT MPK, PT WEL, PT FI, and PT WSP in West Kalimantan; PT NES in Central Kalimantan; and PT PSR in East Kalimantan.
The police are also investigating other perpetrators. Tempo reported that the police have arrested 7 suspects for forest burning in West Kalimantan, 20 people in Central Kalimantan, 2 in South Kalimantan, and 13 in East Kalimantan.
CONCLUSION
Tempo's verification concludes that the narrative of forest fires in Kalimantan occurring naturally due to dry burning peatlands during the dry season is misleading.
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