Wildfires spread near Indonesia’s new capital, prompting calls for action

Fires have reached the surroundings of Indonesia’s under-construction capital, Nusantara, after the eastern part of Borneo had remained relatively safe during weeks of worsening dry-season conditions.

The authority overseeing the capital project has asked the disaster mitigation agency to conduct cloud seeding and water-bombing operations, officials said. The agency’s emergency response director, Agus Riyanto, said the largest fire in the capital territory was burning at Bukit Suharto forest park, where about 300 hectares had been destroyed.

Bukit Suharto lies around 50 kilometers from Nusantara’s city center, where several major projects have been built in recent years. Fires had burned about 400 hectares in areas surrounding the capital by Sept. 2.

Indonesia has intensified efforts to contain haze in six provinces affected by forest and land fires across Borneo and Sumatra. The fires have covered 73,311 hectares so far, as disaster response teams confront what authorities describe as the most difficult dry season in a decade, worsened by a “super El Nino” phenomenon.

Indonesia has 53 aircraft conducting water-bombing and seeding operations, while Japan has sent aircraft and personnel to assist. A helicopter was due to arrive from neighboring South Kalimantan to conduct water-bombing around Nusantara. Agus said cloud conditions remained too weak for seeding, but authorities would proceed when possible. Hundreds of Muslims also gathered outside the state palace in Nusantara for Istisqo prayers, asking for rain. The capital project, announced in 2019 at a projected cost of $32 billion, has faced delays and budget cuts since President Prabowo Subianto took office in 2024.