Indonesia Deploys Nearly 50,000 Personnel as El Nino Fuels Fires, Drought and Regional Haze

Fire emergency deepens before the driest months

Nearly 50,000 firefighters and disaster personnel, backed by dozens of helicopters, are battling wildfires across Indonesia as a severe dry season threatens forests, farms, water supplies and public health. More than 107,000 hectares of forest and land burned between January and June 2026, according to Indonesia's forestry ministry, twice the area burned during all of 2023.

As of August 11, the emergency stretches from the grasslands of East Java to peatlands in Sumatra and Borneo. Smoke is affecting communities in Indonesia and air quality in parts of neighboring Malaysia, while a lack of suitable clouds has prevented authorities from using cloud seeding to bring rain to areas affected by fire.

Djamari Chaniago, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs, said stronger El Nino conditions had increased the danger of forest and land fires during the peak dry season. August and September are expected to bring the most dangerous conditions, with vegetation drying further and winds helping flames spread.

The government is confronting several connected problems at once. Fire crews need water to extinguish burning land, farmers need it to keep crops alive, and communities need reliable supplies for drinking and sanitation. Drought is putting pressure on all three needs while smoke adds another threat to health.

Mount Bromo park closes as flames approach a viewpoint

About 743 hectares have burned in East Java's Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, the site of the most visible blaze. Flames have consumed dry grassland, other vegetation and protected Edelweiss flowers, spreading toward Penanjakan, a well known viewpoint overlooking Mount Bromo.

Park authorities have closed the site to visitors until further notice to protect tourists, staff and nearby communities. No injuries or building evacuations have been reported. The closure keeps visitors away from an area where dry vegetation and wind can allow a fire to spread quickly.

Underground peat fires complicate the response

Firefighters are also working in Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra, as well as Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan. Large areas of peatland are burning across Sumatra and Borneo. In Jambi, thousands of personnel have been deployed with support from three firefighting helicopters.

Peat is partially decayed plant material that has built up in waterlogged soil over centuries. It can hold far more carbon than ordinary mineral soil. When peatlands are drained for plantations or agriculture, the soil becomes highly flammable, allowing fire to consume material beneath the ground as well as vegetation above it.

A peat fire can move below the surface and continue for weeks or months. Firefighters may bring visible flames under control while burning material remains underground, beyond the reach of water used in ordinary firefighting. Finding and fully extinguishing those hidden fires makes the response especially difficult.

Deep peat, limited water supplies, strong winds and difficult access are complicating operations in Jambi. Crews must contend with both the fire itself and the difficulty of getting enough water to the places where it is needed.

Environmental groups say land conversion is increasing the danger. Central Kalimantan contains peat landscapes targeted for food production, including rice cultivation. Janang Palanungkai of Walhi, Indonesia's largest environmental organization, warned that farming on drained peatlands could repeat mistakes made during earlier development projects.

Palanungkai described the activity causing particular concern:

What we are most concerned about is the rice paddy cultivation activity that is being carried out on peatlands, Janang Palanungkai said.

The warning connects the immediate firefighting operation with decisions about how land is used. Draining peat changes the conditions beneath a farm or plantation, leaving material that once stayed wet more exposed to burning during a severe dry season.

Earlier fire seasons explain the concern over drained land

The former Mega Rice Project in Central Kalimantan remains central to concerns about peatland development. Large canals drained peat domes in the 1990s, leaving the land much more vulnerable during the powerful El Nino of 1997 to 1998. Environmental groups say weak oversight of plantation concessions and land clearing continues to increase fire risk.

Indonesia's earlier fire emergencies show how damage can spread beyond the area that burns. The 1997 to 1998 fires caused lasting harm to forests, peatlands and public health. In 2015, fires produced widespread haze across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore and caused hundreds of thousands of respiratory infections.

The sequence links past land changes with the current emergency:

• In the 1990s, canals built for the Mega Rice Project drained peat domes in Central Kalimantan.
• During the powerful El Nino of 1997 to 1998, vulnerable landscapes burned, with lasting damage to forests, peatlands and health.
• In 2015, widespread fire smoke affected Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, causing hundreds of thousands of respiratory infections.
• Between January and June 2026, more than 107,000 hectares burned nationwide.
• As of August 11, authorities expect August and September to bring the most dangerous fire conditions.

How El Nino is intensifying the dry season

El Nino develops when surface waters in the equatorial Pacific remain unusually warm for several months. That warming disrupts air pressure, winds and rainfall patterns around the world. Indonesia and much of Southeast Asia commonly receive less rain and experience higher temperatures during the event.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency, known as BMKG, has warned that the 2026 dry season will be longer and more intense than usual. Rainfall in some areas could fall below 20 millimeters per month. Southern regions, including Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, southern Sumatra and southern Papua, face particular pressure.

Forecasts vary on the strength the event may reach. Some projections point to a moderate or strong El Nino, while United States forecasters have assigned a possibility that it could become very strong. The informal phrase Godzilla El Nino is sometimes used for an exceptionally powerful event; the scientific classifications refer to its intensity.

A positive Indian Ocean Dipole can further reduce rainfall over Indonesia. This is another climate pattern that can act alongside El Nino. Historical fire seasons have often been more severe when the two occur together, increasing the pressure on landscapes already vulnerable to drought.

The World Meteorological Organization has warned that the 2026 El Nino will affect weather far beyond Indonesia. It expects higher temperatures across many land areas, with increased risks of heatwaves, drought and flooding.

WMO Secretary General Celeste Saulo said forecasts need to be followed by action that protects exposed communities:

Forecasts in themselves do not prevent hazards; people do, Celeste Saulo said.

Why cloud seeding cannot help in current conditions

Authorities considered weather modification, commonly called cloud seeding, to generate rain over areas affected by fire. The process releases particles such as salt into suitable clouds, helping water droplets or ice crystals form and fall as rain.

Scientific monitoring found no rain bearing clouds suitable for seeding through the most critical period. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni said crews were therefore relying on water bombing from aircraft and teams working on the ground.

Cloud seeding requires clouds containing enough moisture and the right atmospheric structure. With clear skies or unsuitable clouds, it cannot produce the rain firefighters need. During a strong dry season, crews may be left digging containment lines, pumping water and attacking flames from the air.

Authorities are asking residents to avoid actions that could ignite new fires. Discarded cigarette butts, unattended cooking fires and land clearing by burning can quickly set fire to dry grass or damaged peat. Patrols, hotspot monitoring and early warnings are also being focused on provinces near Malaysia and other neighboring areas.

Drought response reaches farms and households

Indonesia's Ministry of Public Works has responded to drought in 492 locations. Work at 442 sites has been completed, while 50 sites remain active. The response has protected 22,210 hectares of rice fields and supplied clean water to 155,228 people.

Java accounts for most of that activity. Support there has reached 305 locations, 12,875 hectares of farmland and more than 125,000 residents. Those figures show how heavily the drought response is concentrated on the island, even as fires and water shortages affect other regions.

Government measures include emergency water distribution, improved irrigation management, boreholes, maintenance of water storage and the use of crop varieties resistant to drought. Authorities are also considering agricultural insurance and rice reserves to reduce the effects of crop losses.

Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa said President Prabowo Subianto had ordered preparations for an economic stimulus package for the second half of 2026. Details are still being discussed with other ministries. Government planners estimate that losses across key sectors could exceed 2 quadrillion rupiah, about $111 billion, without early action.

El Nino can reduce production of rice, palm oil and coffee while increasing electricity demand as households use more fans and air conditioning. Lower reservoir levels can reduce the water available for irrigation and the generation of electricity from hydropower. Fisheries and aquaculture may also face pressure from warmer water and changing rainfall.

The economic risk therefore reaches beyond fields damaged by drought or land consumed by fire. Reduced harvests, strained water supplies and higher demand for cooling can affect several sectors at the same time, which is why the government's preparations cover food, water and energy as well as emergency response.

Smoke reaches Malaysia as health risks grow

Smoke from fires in Sumatra and Borneo can cross the Malacca Strait and reach Malaysia and Singapore when seasonal winds shift. Malaysia has already recorded unhealthy air quality in several parts of Sarawak and Selangor.

Serian recorded an Air Pollutant Index reading of 185, while Kuching reached 165. Experts said winds during the southwest monsoon were carrying smoke from fires in Kalimantan toward Sarawak.

Haze contains fine particles known as PM2.5 that can enter deep into the lungs. Exposure can worsen asthma, heart disease and other respiratory conditions. Children, older people, pregnant women and outdoor workers face higher risks.

In Pekanbaru, haze has reduced visibility at the main airport. Residents in other communities in Riau have reported persistent smoke, adding to the pressure on people living near areas affected by fire.

Dry weather can also increase risks from dengue, malaria and illnesses linked to unsafe water. Health authorities are preparing disease monitoring, public warnings and clean water supplies as temperatures rise and sanitation becomes more difficult. The health response must therefore address both polluted air and the effects of water shortages.

Land use decisions remain central to prevention

Weather is increasing the danger, while many fires begin through human activity. Small farmers may use fire to clear land, and plantation operations or illegal land clearing can create much larger burns. Environmental groups say enforcement has often been uneven, with local communities facing stronger action than companies whose concessions experience repeated fires.

Satellite monitoring has found many hotspots inside oil palm and timber concessions. This has prompted calls for stronger supervision, restoration of water levels in peatlands and tougher action against those responsible for negligent or deliberate burning.

Indonesia's response plan covers four broad areas: agriculture and forestry, energy and water, healthcare, and fisheries and food. Officials are combining fire patrols with irrigation repairs, peatland restoration, emergency water supplies and preparations for diseases affected by climate conditions.

Fire crews face the immediate task of preventing current blazes from spreading through the driest months. Reducing future vulnerability also requires attention to drained peat, poorly managed concessions and development in landscapes prone to fire. Those conditions can allow each severe El Nino to turn a seasonal dry period into a national emergency.

What to Know

• More than 107,000 hectares burned across Indonesia between January and June 2026, twice the area burned during all of 2023.
• Nearly 50,000 firefighters and disaster personnel are responding, supported by dozens of helicopters.
• About 743 hectares have burned in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park, which is closed to visitors until further notice.
• Peat fires across Sumatra and Borneo are difficult to extinguish because burning can continue underground for weeks or months.
• Cloud seeding is unavailable because suitable rain bearing clouds are absent.
• Drought response has reached 492 locations, protected 22,210 hectares of rice fields and supplied clean water to 155,228 people.
• Smoke has contributed to unhealthy air quality in parts of Malaysia, while haze has reduced visibility at Pekanbaru's main airport.
• August and September are expected to bring the most dangerous fire conditions.