Fires Close In on Indonesia's New Capital
Indonesia's new capital city, Nusantara, has spent most of the current dry season relatively insulated from the wildfires tearing through Borneo and Sumatra. That buffer has now eroded. As of September 2, fires had consumed roughly 400 hectares of land surrounding the capital territory in East Kalimantan, according to details first reported by The Straits Times.
The largest single blaze is burning inside Bukit Suharto Forest Park, a protected area named after the former president, located about 50 kilometres from Nusantara's city centre. Around 300 hectares of that park have already been lost to fire.
A Difficult Season Made Worse by Super El Niño
Disaster response teams across Indonesia are contending with what officials describe as the most challenging dry season in a decade. A "super El Niño" phenomenon has amplified conditions across six provinces in Borneo and Sumatra, where fires have collectively scorched more than 73,000 hectares.
Agus Riyanto, director for emergency response at Indonesia's disaster mitigation agency, confirmed that the authority overseeing the Nusantara project had formally requested cloud-seeding and water-bombing operations in response to the encroaching fires. Indonesia currently has 53 aircraft engaged in water-bombing and cloud-seeding activities nationwide. Japan has also contributed aircraft and personnel to the effort, and a helicopter from neighbouring South Kalimantan has been dispatched specifically to work around Nusantara. Cloud cover in the area remained insufficient for seeding operations as of the latest update, though the agency said it would proceed when conditions allowed.
On September 4, hundreds of Muslims gathered outside the state palace in Nusantara to perform Istisqo prayers, a traditional Islamic supplication for rain.
Context: A Capital City Under Pressure
Nusantara was announced in 2019 by then-President Joko Widodo as a US$32 billion project intended to replace Jakarta, which faces chronic flooding, land subsidence, and severe congestion. Since President Prabowo Subianto took office in 2024, the project has encountered delays and budget reductions.
Urban and planning expert Wisnubroto Sarosa has noted that Nusantara's location, surrounded by forest and with limited water supplies, is not ideal for a capital city. He acknowledged, however, that fire risk in the eastern part of Borneo where Nusantara sits is lower than in the island's western and central provinces.
Why it matters for hosts
Independent accommodation operators in and around the Nusantara development zone should treat this fire season as a practical planning signal. Smoke and haze can suppress travel demand quickly and with little warning, particularly for guests flying into East Kalimantan. Operators who communicate proactively about air quality conditions, offer flexible booking terms during peak dry season months (July through October), and maintain clear cancellation policies will be better positioned to retain guest confidence than those who stay silent. Monitoring official disaster agency updates and having a simple guest communication template ready before haze becomes severe is a low-cost preparation that pays off in trust.
Details in this post were first reported by The Straits Times.
First reported by straitstimes.com.