Story perspectives

BNPB requests Japan CH-47 helicopters to fight peat fires

9/8/2026

Summary

BNPB Tackles Peat Fires

BNPB deployed water-bombing aircraft and asked Japan for CH-47 helicopters to fight West Kalimantan peat fires.
Peat fires have carbonised about 200,000 hectares since early July, per volunteer firefighter Dwi Sujatmoko.
El Niño drought left 90 % of Indonesia with little rain in early August, worsening fires.
AQI topped 900 in Pontianak and health officials recorded over 1,400 acute respiratory cases in September.

Summary

Ash Halts Flights

Ash from Mount Anak Krakatau delayed or cancelled over 1,558 flights at eight airports.
More than 270,000 passengers were stranded, including over 900 at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport.
Transport Minister Dudy Purwagandhi named Semarang and Surabaya airports as alternative landing sites.
BNPB chief Suharyanto announced cloud-seeding to accelerate rain-wash of volcanic ash.
Ships were ordered to stay at least three kilometres from the volcano, creating a maritime exclusion zone.

History

Historical Context

During the 1997–98 El Niño drought, Indonesia’s peat-rich forests burned about 8 million hectares, creating the 1997 Southeast Asian haze that cost roughly US$4.5 billion. The disaster led ASEAN to adopt an early-warning system in 1998. Today, renewed peat fires in West Kalimantan revive those trans-border health and transport threats and severe air-quality crises across the region.

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BNPB Tackles Peat Fires

BNPB deployed water-bombing aircraft and asked Japan for CH-47 helicopters to fight West Kalimantan peat fires.
Peat fires have carbonised about 200,000 hectares since early July, per volunteer firefighter Dwi Sujatmoko.
El Niño drought left 90 % of Indonesia with little rain in early August, worsening fires.
AQI topped 900 in Pontianak and health officials recorded over 1,400 acute respiratory cases in September.

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