BMKG detected 3,663 hotspots in Sumatra on Tuesday, October 13, up sharply in under 24 hours and most numerous in South Sumatra (Antara, detikNews, Liputan6). BNPB said land still burning is 639.23 hectares, the largest part in Tanjung Puting (detikNews, Republika, Liputan6). Prabowo was startled by so small a figure (IDNFinancials, Tempo), then prepared 200 water pumps and Rp2 billion for 200 water-drilling points (detikNews, Liputan6, Suara.com, Indopolitika). Cabinet Secretary Teddy said more than 60,000 combined personnel have been deployed (Republika, Antara). BNPB acknowledged that visibility hampers aerial firefighting (Republika). A total of 1,673 flights have been affected since August (detikNews, Republika). The government has not declared a national disaster (Tempo).
The fires touch health, aviation and relations with neighboring countries. The gap between the number of hotspots and the area actually burning determines whether the situation is improving or is worse than the numbers suggest.
Residents of Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua should monitor air quality and local government advisories. Air passengers from smoky regions should check schedules with their airline before heading to the airport.
The government judges national resources sufficient: tens of thousands of personnel, extra pumps and the focus on Tanjung Puting show the state is moving, so national disaster status is not yet needed.
The DPR and some observers say months of smoke, disrupted flights and complaints from neighboring countries are reason enough to declare a national disaster, so that central resources and authority are greater.
The figures 639 hectares and 3,663 hotspots do not contradict each other: the first measures land officials are counting as burning, the second counts satellite signals that may not end in a large fire. Watch three things: whether hotspots fall within a few days, whether the Forestry Ministry gets extra air support for Tanjung Puting, and whether the early rain forecast for mid-October arrives. The stance of the government and the Central Kalimantan Governor on national disaster status has not changed.
Antara, detikNews, Liputan6, Republika, Tempo, IDNFinancials, Suara.com, Indopolitika, MetroTV, Kompas.com (Oct. 12–13, 2026)
Sumatra hotspots jump to 3,663 and smoke spreads to Papua; Prabowo sends 200 pumps to Tanjung Puting, national disaster status not yet declared
The President was told that land still burning is down to just 639 hectares, far below what he had assumed. More than 60,000 personnel have been deployed, but poor visibility hampers aerial firefighting and 1,673 flights have been disrupted since August.
Indonesia’s forest and land fires, known as karhutla, entered Tuesday, October 13 with heavier numbers in Sumatra. The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) detected 3,663 hotspots on the island of Sumatra, a jump in under 24 hours, most of them in South Sumatra, according to Antara, detikNews and Liputan6. Hotspots only mark possible fire; they do not measure how large a fire is. The area figure comes from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB): land still burning is down to 639.23 hectares, the largest part in Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan, according to detikNews, Republika and Liputan6.
A figure that small startled the President. IDNFinancials wrote that Prabowo Subianto was surprised while chairing the forest-fire meeting because the burning area was only that size, and Tempo wrote that he had at first thought the fire was still sweeping across thousands of hectares. The head of BNPB, who gave him the report, said so, according to Liputan6. Prabowo then made Tanjung Puting a special focus (detikNews, RRI, MetroTV). When the regional military commander (Pangdam) asked for 50 water pumps, he said he would send 200, according to detikNews and Liputan6, and Suara.com and Indopolitika wrote that he was preparing Rp2 billion for 200 water-drilling points. He also wants more forest rangers and the TNI and police to help train them, according to several outlets; some put the target at 70,000 people.
On the ground, more than 60,000 combined personnel have been deployed for ground operations in Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra, said Cabinet Secretary Teddy, according to Republika and Antara. The obstacle is in the air. BNPB acknowledged that poor visibility hampers aerial firefighting (Republika), and the Forestry Ministry asked for more air support because the fire in Tanjung Puting is spreading, according to Liputan6. The Environment Minister insisted that every resource is at work and that it is untrue the government is negligent, said Antara and Liputan6. Antara noted the President prioritized a dry ice trial in South Sumatra to disperse the smoke, while Liputan6 quoted an expert that peatland is simply hard to extinguish.
The smoke is already far from the fire. A total of 1,673 flights have been delayed or cancelled since August because of the fires, according to detikNews and Republika; Republika added that the Transportation Ministry is overseeing airport operations. In the east, haze blanketed Timika with visibility of 300 meters and disrupted flights (Republika), and students in South Papua studied online (detikNews, Liputan6). Liputan6 wrote that the air in Singapore and Malaysia is also unhealthy. Malaysia raised the haze issue at ASEAN while acknowledging that Indonesia’s efforts are already maximal, said Antara, and Republika wrote that Malaysia is ready to help.
The national disaster status has not changed. The government says the fires do not yet have that status, according to Tempo. The DPR is urging it be declared (Liputan6), while the Central Kalimantan Governor has not proposed it because such a status cannot be handled casually, said detikNews. The DPD chair asked the government to study foreign assistance, and Komnas HAM asked for the recovery of victims and transparency in law enforcement (Antara).
For readers, the useful measure is not the number of meetings. Kompas.com wrote that the President received a report that the fires will improve in mid-October; that estimate depends on rain, and DailyDrop has not seen BMKG’s basis for it. Residents of Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua should monitor air quality and local government advisories, and passengers should check schedules with their airline. What to watch today: whether the number of hotspots falls, whether the 639 hectares truly shrinks, and whether the visibility problem turns into real aerial firefighting.