Coordinating Minister Denies Government's Slow Response to Karhutla: Many Factors at Play...

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Sugiono asserted that the government is not slow in addressing forest and land fires (karhutla) occurring in several regions of Indonesia.

"If it was said to be slow, I believe the government is not slow. There are many factors causing this situation to persist," Sugiono stated during a press conference at the Kemenko PMK office in Jakarta on Thursday (22/10/2026).

According to Sugiono, one of the factors is the dry conditions resulting from the El Niño phenomenon.

On the other hand, he pointed out that the primary cause of karhutla is human activity.

"In addition to the drought caused by El Niño, the major factor is that this karhutla situation is primarily triggered by human activities," Sugiono explained.

Therefore, the government is involving various parties to actively put out the fires.

In addition to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the military (TNI), police (Polri), local governments, communities, and volunteers are essential to addressing karhutla.

"We are also exploring the possibility of collaborating with the academic world to invite broader community participation in tackling this issue," he added.

It is known that karhutla and its resulting haze have persisted for several months up to the present.

Karhutla has disrupted people's lives and degraded air quality, impacting health, particularly causing respiratory issues.

In several areas, educational activities have switched to distance learning (PJJ), and flight operations have also been affected due to limited visibility.

The issue of karhutla has been echoed by various parties, including Deputy Chair of Commission IV of the DPR Alex Indra Lukman, who reminded that the fires in Indonesia have been ongoing for about four months.

Alex also urged the government not to hesitate to collaborate with other countries in combating the fires.

"It has been four months; there is no need to feel ashamed to work with other countries to tackle this issue," Alex told Kompas.com on Sunday (18/10/2026).