Four Thousand Hectares of Land Burned in South Sumatra Until August 2023, Worst in OKI

Based on data from the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK), the estimated area of forest and land fires (karhutla) in South Sumatra province has reached 4,082.82 hectares (ha) during the January-August 2023 period.

Of this burned land area, 2,947.8 ha consists of mineral land, with the remainder being peatland.

Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) Regency is recorded as the regency in South Sumatra experiencing the largest forest and land fires, reaching 2,625 ha.

The Head of the South Sumatra Regional Center for Climate Change Control, Forest and Land Fires (BPPIKHL), Ferdian Kristanto, stated that the fire in OKI is a serious concern because the fire has been difficult to extinguish for the past month.

"It's been more than a month (the fire has been burning). It's extinguished, then it flares up again. Because it's peat, the condition is like that," said Ferdian in his statement, as reported by CNN Indonesia on Tuesday (19/9/2023).

Furthermore, the second largest karhutla in South Sumatra occurred in Ogan Ilir Regency, covering 511.21 ha. This is followed by Banyuasin Regency with 439.25 ha.

KLHK notes that these land fires occurred in almost all areas of South Sumatra, except for Danau, Empat Lawang, Lahat, Lubuklinggau, Pagar Alam, and Prabumulih Regencies, which are categorized as safe.

For a complete overview, here is a detailed breakdown of the burned land area in South Sumatra province as of August 2023 by region:

1. Ogan Komering Ilir Regency: 2,625 ha
2. Ogan Ilir Regency: 511.21 ha
3. Banyuasin Regency: 439.25 ha
4. Ogan Komering Ulu Timur Regency: 144.83 ha
5. Musi Rawas Utara Regency: 120.64 ha
6. Musi Rawas Regency: 74.89 ha
7. Muara Enim Regency: 73.97 ha
8. Musi Banyuasin Regency: 44.67 ha
9. Ogan Komering Ulu Regency: 18.84 ha
10. Palembang City: 16.26 ha
11. Penukal Abab Lematang Ilir Regency: 10.73 ha
12. Ogan Komering Ulu Selatan Regency: 2.53 ha

(See also: Bromo Fire Caused by Pre-wedding Photoshoot Finally Extinguished, How Large Was the Affected Land Area?)