Jakarta, Aug. 7 -- The Indonesian National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) is deploying two additional water-bombing helicopters to combat the worsening forest and land fires in West Kalimantan Province.

West Kalimantan is one of the priority provinces for the mitigation operation. As of June 2026, the total area of burned land in the region reached 28,680 hectares, exceeding the 26,703 hectares recorded throughout 2025.

Head of BNPB Suharyanto said in an official statement released here on Friday that the emergency measure reflects the central government's rapid response to the significant increase in wildfires.

He explained that extreme heat and the absence of significant rainfall for more than a month have been the primary drivers...