RI uses ASEAN framework to mitigate regional forest fire impacts

hartono · Aug 14, 2026

RI uses ASEAN framework to mitigate regional forest fire impacts

The ASEAN logo and national flags of its member states displayed at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta. (ANTARA/Nabil Ihsan/aa)

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia continues to coordinate with neighboring countries and utilize existing regional mechanisms within the ASEAN framework to mitigate the impact of forest and land fires in Southeast Asia.

"The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with various ministries and other countries, including utilizing monitoring and information exchange mechanisms within the ASEAN framework," the ministry’s spokesperson Vahd Nabyl A. Mulachela stated during a press briefing in Jakarta, Thursday (August 13).

Central to Indonesia's regional strategy is the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, signed in 2002.

The treaty facilitates real-time data sharing and coordinated response efforts among member states to control smoke pollution resulting from land-clearing and wildfires.

To minimize the impact of forest fires on communities and neighboring environments, the Indonesian government has implemented a comprehensive strategy, including ground patrols, water bombing, cloud-seeding operations, and law enforcement against arsonists.

"These measures are carried out periodically, regardless of whether or not there are official objections from any country," Nabyl emphasized, confirming that Indonesia has not received any formal protest notes from neighboring states regarding the fires.

As the dry season intensifies, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) identified early indications of transboundary haze drifting from West Kalimantan toward Sarawak, Malaysia.

In response, the Forestry Ministry has scaled up weather modification operations to trigger artificial rain in border regions.

The cloud-seeding schedules have been set for Central Kalimantan from August 11–15, West Kalimantan from August 13–17, and Riau from July 30 to August 22.