Wildfires on doorstep of Indonesia’s new capital as environmental and health crisis flares

Indonesia's burgeoning wildfire crisis has now reached the doorstep of Nusantara, the new capital city under construction in Borneo. In mid-September, fires blazed 30 to 40 kilometers (19 to 25 miles) from the perimeter of government buildings in the new capital. The blazes were reported near Wonotirto, close to the main toll road, and at Bukit Tengkorak within the Bukit Soeharto protected forest.

While these wildfires did not reach the site of the government complex, authorities in Nusantara expressed concern and vowed to monitor and patrol the area to prevent recurrence. On September 14, the forestry minister, Raja Juli Antoni, joined disaster management agency officials and leaders of Ibu Kota Nusantara (IKN), overseeing the massive construction site, to inspect the ongoing fires.

Helicopters dropped buckets of water as officials surveyed the vulnerable landscape surrounding the city. The minister expressed concern, asking about the state fire brigade's presence, "They need to get there, along with colleagues — there's smoke again." He called for coordination with firefighters, the army, and police to address the situation.