# Indonesia's Worst-Ever Fires

> Indonesia faces worst-ever fires as El Niño fuels plantations and peatland blazes.
- Title: Indonesia's Worst-Ever Fires · Foreign Policy | Shortify
- Summary: Indonesia faces worst-ever fires as El Niño fuels plantations and peatland blazes. Indonesia's 2026 fire season, driven by plantation agriculture and El…
- Keywords: indonesia, el niño, plantation agriculture, peatland, wildfires, suharyanto, bnpb, nusantara atlas, seoul, bangkok floods, thailand, un general assembly
- Source: Foreign Policy — https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/09/30/indonesia-forest-fires-worst-ever-plantations-el-nino
- Author: Joseph Rachman
- Published: 2026-09-30T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: indonesia, el niño, plantation agriculture, peatland, wildfires, suharyanto, bnpb, nusantara atlas, seoul, bangkok floods, thailand, un general assembly
## Indonesia's Worst-Ever Fires?
Indonesia may be on track for its worst-ever year of fires with vast rainforest and peatland burning in September.
## Smoke Drifts Across Borders
Smoke from Indonesian fires has drifted to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Manila, Philippines.
## El Niño Extends Dry Season
The current El Niño, described as particularly severe by BNPB head Suharyanto, causes a longer and hotter dry season.
## 900,000 Hectares Burned
From January to August, nearly 900,000 hectares of land burned, more than in August 2019.
## Plantation Agriculture Causes Fires
Plantation agriculture overlaps with fire hotspots, clearing land and draining peatland to create fuel for fires.
## Peatland Drains to Fuel Fires
Waterlogged peatland is drained to create plantation land, turning fire-resistant areas into tinderboxes.
## El Niño Increases Fire Risk
A one-degree Celsius increase in sea surface temperature anomaly corresponds with a 50 percent increase in fire hotspots.
## Water Shortages in Firefighting
Firefighting teams face water shortages as they attempt to battle the flames.
## BNPB Budget Cut to $27m
The BNPB budget was slashed to 491 billion rupiah (about $27 million) from nearly 5 trillion rupiah in 2024.
## Fires Near Government Programs
Fires occur in areas near government plantation programs in South Papua province.
## Bangkok Floods Displace 1.7m
Thailand's September floods displaced 1.7 million people, with 23 deaths and 12.3 billion baht in damages.
## Bangkok Floods Impact
Bangkok's floods displaced 6,000 people, with deep water causing slow drainage and panic buying in supermarkets.
## UN General Assembly Speeches
Southeast Asian leaders spoke at the UNGA in New York, with Vietnam's president warning about economic fragmentation.
## Thailand's Flood Response
Thailand deployed 10,000 troops to Bangkok after floods displaced 6,000 people and caused 23 deaths.
## What Happens Next?
Indonesia's fire season continues until November, with government efforts to crack down on plantation fires.
## Key takeaway

Indonesia's 2026 fire season, driven by plantation agriculture and El Niño, has burned 900,000 hectares of land, displacing communities and threatening ecosystems.