Tanjung, S Kalimantan (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Tabalong District in South Kalimantan Province has received Rp10 billion (about US$554,000) in presidential aid to support forest and land fire response, including operations, equipment, and infrastructure.
Tabalong District Head Muhammad Noor Rifani said here on Saturday (Oct 24) that the assistance would also cover fuel, meals for volunteers, and other operational needs.
"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 at the 2026 National Coordination Meeting of Regional Financial Access Acceleration Teams in Jakarta on Friday (Oct 23).
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The district government will coordinate with the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) and volunteers from community-based disaster response units to identify operational needs in the field.
Aries Setiawan, head of the forest protection section at the Tabalong Forest Management Unit, said about 140 hectares had been affected by fires, including protected forests, production forests, and other land-use areas.
The affected areas are spread across sub-districts of Bintang Ara, Muara Uya, and Jaro.
Forest protection teams and the district disaster agency are currently tackling fires in Salikung Village, Muara Uya Subdistrict.
Data from the district disaster agency’s operations center recorded 194 fire incidents that burned about 507 hectares of land.
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Translator: Firman, Rahmad Nasution
Editor: Fransiska Ninditya
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