TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Forest and land fires on Dayan Bonder Island, located in North Batanta District, Raja Ampat Regency, Southwest Papua, have expanded rapidly as a prolonged drought fueled by the El Niño phenomenon grips the region.
The fires have hit local tourism operations, agricultural land, and clean water supplies for surrounding communities.
The Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) reported that the burned area reached 7.2 hectares by early September 2026. Hotspots reignited across several locations toward the end of September after the initial blaze broke out on September 2 at approximately 3:00 AM Eastern Indonesia Time (WIT).
Ketsya Kolomsusu, owner of the Batanta Paradise Homestay, shared that her property has seen no guests for about a month after tourists canceled reservations upon hearing of the fires.
“Marine tourism activities remain unaffected by the haze, but we haven’t hosted a single guest at the homestay for the past month,” she said.
Ketsya and her family run four bungalows alongside an on-site restaurant. The venture was established after her husband, Hendrik Saleo, secured financial support through the EcoFund revolving facility provided by the EcoNusa Foundation in late 2024. “We urgently need visitors,” she added.
The extended dry spell has also compromised freshwater supplies. The well serving Ketsya’s family has turned brackish, forcing them to haul cooking water from a spring on a neighboring island. Residents across both North and South Batanta are enduring similar hardships.
“This has never happened before. Over the past six months, it has rained just once,” said Wilhemus Mayor, the regional coordinator for Batanta Island.
The drought’s toll extends to agricultural communities in Wailebet Village, South Batanta District, where cacao crops have suffered damage, leaving fruit spoiled and leaves yellowed.
The Southwest Papua BPBD deployed teams to Dayan Island two days after the initial outbreak was detected, conducting on-site firefighting operations for 14 days. Local residents and homestay operators actively joined the firefighting effort. Supporting these emergency operations, the EcoNusa Foundation supplied essential gear, including water pumps, fire hoses, and fuel.
The blazes pose a direct threat to the fragile ecosystem of Dayan Island, an integral buffer zone for the Batanta Island Protected Forest. The conservation area provides critical habitat for diverse flora and fauna, including the palm cockatoo, cuscus, matoa trees, and ironwood.
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) projects that El Niño conditions will persist through early 2027, raising concerns of a delayed rainy season across several parts of Indonesia.
In response, the EcoNusa Foundation announced it is bolstering community preparedness alongside local partners, focusing on water security, food reserves, medical support, and emergency fire response readiness.
Jayapura, Jubi – Thick smoke haze has blanketed Timika, the capital of Mimika Regency in Central Papua, with smoke from forest and land fires in Merauke Regency, South Papua, carried by the wind into the region.
Residents have reported health problems amid the worsening haze. Early childhood education centres and primary school have been temporarily closed, with students switching to remote learning from October 12, 2026. Junior and senior high school students, including vocational school students, are still attending classes but required to wear masks under a circular issued by the Mimika regent.
“Many people have complained of headaches and dizziness, especially schoolchildren. Early childhood education centres and primary schools have been temporarily closed. Timika feels like a place in the mountains, with clouds creeping along the ground,” John Magal, chair of the Amungme Tribal Council (LEMASA) in Timika, told Jubi via a messaging app on Wednesday (14/10/2026).
Miskan, public relation officer to the Amungme and Kamoro Community Empowerment Foundation (YPMAK), reported similar conditions.
“The situation in Timika is bad. Without a mask, you can smell the smoke and your eyes sting. Air conditioners at home are running day and night,” Miskan said.
Meanwhile, the Mimika District Health Office has distributed 30,000 masks to residents to help reduce the health risk posed by the smoke haze.
Marselino Mameyao, acting head of the Mimika District Health Office, told Antara that the distribution involved several community and professional organizations and took place at six locations across Timika.
“We distributed 30,000 masks to the public yesterday at six locations, including the traffic-light intersections at SP 1 and SP 4 in Wania District. The remaining locations were in Mimika Baru District, including the traffic lights near Timika Mall, Hasanuddin Street, Patimura Street, in front of Bank Papua and near the Timika State Treasure Service Office (KPPN),” he said in Timika on Monday (12/10/2026).
Mameyao said the distribution would continue at schools across Mimika to ensure students wore masks as the haze worsened.
“The haze has become thicker over the past few days, and we cannot afford to wait. We will also ask community health centres across Timika to distribute masks to residents in their respective service areas,” he said.
Residents have also been urged to purchase masks for family members to wear when ongoing outdoors.
“People must wear masks when leaving home and, if possible, reduce unnecessary outdoor activities because the smoke haze is becoming increasingly thick,” he said.
Mameyao also advised anyone experiencing respiratory problems due to the haze to seek medical assistance at the nearest community health centre.
He said health teams were monitoring whether cases of acute respiratory infections (ARI) had increased since the haze began affecting the area.
“Our team is working in the field to determine whether ARI cases have increased since the haze began. Once all the data has been collected, I will provide an update,” he said. (*)
Sentani, Jubi – Lula Kamal, a member of the supervisory board of Indonesia’s Health Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan), visited health facilities in Jayapura Regency, Papua, on Wednesday (14/10/2026), to review healthcare services supported by the national health insurance scheme.
Kamal visited Sentani Community Health Centre (Puskesmas Sentani) and Yowari Regional General Hospital (RSUD Yowari) to assess healthcare delivery and cooperation between BPJS Kesehatan and the Jayapura Regency Government.
Kamal said the visit was intended to identify challenges facing healthcare providers and explore opportunities to improve services in collaboration with local authorities.
She said healthcare challenges varied from one region to another, making it important to assess local conditions firsthand. The findings could help inform policy decisions at the national level, she said.
Kamal expressed hope that the visit would encourage the exchange of information about healthcare challenges and identify measures to improve the quality of services available to the community.
Jayapura Regency Assistant II for Economic Affairs, Abdurrahman Basri, said the visit was part of efforts to ensure healthcare services met applicable standards and community expectations.
“The aim is to see how healthcare services supported by BPJS are being delivered to the people of Jayapura Regency,” Basri said.
He said Kamal reviewed services at Sentani Community Health Centre and Yowari Regional General Hospital, particularly those provided under cooperation agreements between BPJS Kesehatan and local healthcare facilities.
Basri said the visit also provided an opportunity to assess progress and identify ongoing challenges in delivering healthcare to residents.
He described the visit as a coordination and monitoring exercise, with its findings expected to inform the supervisory board’s evaluation and policy recommendations to support improvements in regional healthcare services.
“They are coordinating with local authorities to assess the progress that has been made. They will then return to Jakarta to formulate policies to support the Jayapura Regency Government in delivering healthcare services,” Basri said.
He added that the regency government continued to work with BPJS Kesehatan to support healthcare provision for the community.
Jayapura Regency covers a large geographical area, comprising 19 districts and 179 villages, Basri said.
The region’s geographical challenges are an important consideration in healthcare planning, particularly in ensuring residents can access the services they need.
The Jayapura Regency Government hopes continued coordination with the BPJS Kesehatan supervisory board will strengthen cooperation between local authorities, the agency and healthcare providers.
The findings from the visit are expected to inform further evaluation and help improve service quality, while ensuring residents receive healthcare in accordance with BPJS Kesehatan requirements. (*)
