East Nusa Tenggara Experienced the Largest Forest Fire in 2020

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) recorded that the area of forest and land fires (karhutla) in Indonesia reached 296,942 hectares (ha) in 2020. This figure is down 81.9% compared to the previous year, which reached 1.65 million ha.

East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) was the province most affected by karhutla throughout 2020. The area affected in this province reached 114,719 ha.

According to monitoring by the Terra/Aqua satellite (LAPAN), there were 420 hotspots in NTT last year. Karhutla in NTT last year produced emissions of 6.54 million tons of CO2e.

West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) also experienced karhutla affecting 29,157 ha in 2020. Furthermore, the area affected by karhutla in Papua and Maluku reached 28,277 ha and 20,270 ha respectively.

The area affected by karhutla in East Java reached 19,148 ha throughout last year. This was followed by Riau with 15,442 ha, Riau Islands with 8,805 ha, and Central Kalimantan with 7,681 ha.

Indonesia experiences karhutla in various regions every year. Therefore, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) is requested to take preventative and preparedness measures to address karhutla in their respective regions.

One such measure is conducting field monitoring and reviews with relevant agencies. In addition, BPBDs are preparing logistics and equipment for handling karhutla, such as clean water tanks and water pumps, prioritizing areas affected by drought.