Tanjung, October 25, 2026 – The Europe Today: Indonesia’s Tabalong District in South Kalimantan Province has received Rp10 billion (approximately US$554,000) in presidential assistance to strengthen efforts to combat forest and land fires, including operational activities, equipment procurement and infrastructure development.
Tabalong District Head Muhammad Noor Rifani said on Saturday that the funds would also be used to cover fuel costs, meals for volunteers and other operational requirements related to firefighting activities.
“This assistance is a trust that we must use as effectively as possible to support forest and land fire response operations,” Rifani said.
The assistance was confirmed during the 2026 National Coordination Meeting of Regional Financial Access Acceleration Teams, held in Jakarta on Friday, October 23.
The district administration will coordinate with the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) and volunteers from community-based disaster response units to identify and prioritise operational needs in affected areas.
According to Aries Setiawan, head of the forest protection section at the Tabalong Forest Management Unit, approximately 140 hectares of land have been affected by fires, including protected forests, production forests and other land-use areas.
The affected areas are located across the subdistricts of Bintang Ara, Muara Uya and Jaro.
Forest protection teams, together with the district disaster management agency, are currently working to contain fires in Salikung Village in Muara Uya Subdistrict.
Meanwhile, data from the district disaster agency’s operations centre recorded 194 fire incidents, which have collectively burned approximately 507 hectares of land.
The presidential assistance is expected to strengthen local firefighting capacity, improve operational readiness and support coordinated efforts to contain forest and land fires across Tabalong District.
