Peatland in Sumatera Utara
Sumatera Utara has about 288.6 thousand ha of peatland on the Ministry of Agriculture's peat map, 4.1% of its area.
Depth and function
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry's 1:50,000 peat ecosystem function map covers 23.7 thousand ha of peat here. 8,098 ha is designated for protection, mostly because the peat is deeper than 3 metres, and 15.6 thousand ha for cultivation. The deepest peat on record here reaches 7.5 metres.
| Class | Area | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Very shallow (< 0.5 m) | 3,941 ha | 16.6% |
| Shallow (0.5–1 m) | 4,004 ha | 16.9% |
| Moderate (1–2 m) | 4,579 ha | 19.3% |
| Deep (2–3 m) | 3,099 ha | 13.1% |
| Very deep (> 3 m) | 8,098 ha | 34.1% |
Peat hydrological units (KHG)
This area touches 9 peat hydrological units (KHG) with detailed boundaries. A KHG is one peat ecosystem between two rivers, or between a river and the sea, managed as a unit under Government Regulation 57/2016.
- KHG.12.01.04
- KHG.12.01.06
- KHG.12.13.01
- KHG.12.13.02
- KHG.12.13.03
- KHG.12.16.01
- KHG.12.16.02
- KHG.12.23.01
- KHG.12.23.02
Fires on peat
Since 2012 the VIIRS satellites have recorded 9,163 heat detections on peat in this area. The worst year was 2014, with 3,520.
Since 7 October 2026: 0 confirmed fires on peat, from six-sensor satellite monitoring that started that day.
No confirmed fire is active in this area right now.
Official hazard maps
KLHK forest and land fire hazard map (1:250,000)
| Very high | 310.8 thousand ha | 4.4% |
| High | 3.17 million ha | 44.5% |
| Moderate | 2.95 million ha | 41.4% |
| Low | 682.1 thousand ha | 9.6% |
Flood hazard map (1:50,000)
| High | 29.7 thousand ha | 0.4% |
| Moderate | 135.5 thousand ha | 1.9% |
| Low | 1,700 ha | 0% |
Regencies and cities
| Name | Peat (Ministry of Agriculture) | Detailed peat (KLHK) |
|---|---|---|
| Labuhan Batu | 105.3 thousand ha | – |
| Labuhan Batu Utara | 61.8 thousand ha | 14.2 thousand ha |
| Labuhan Batu Selatan | 41.9 thousand ha | – |
| Asahan | 36.2 thousand ha | – |
| Mandailing Natal | 21.3 thousand ha | 3,040 ha |
| Tapanuli Tengah | 8,953 ha | 3,408 ha |
| Humbang Hasundutan | 6,524 ha | 3,056 ha |
| Tapanuli Selatan | 6,048 ha | – |
| Samosir | 322 ha | – |
| Dairi | 150 ha | – |
Batu Bara · Deli Serdang · Karo · Kota Binjai · Kota Gunungsitoli · Kota Medan · Kota Padangsidimpuan · Kota Pematang Siantar · Kota Sibolga · Kota Tanjung Balai · Kota Tebing Tinggi · Langkat · Nias · Nias Barat · Nias Selatan · Nias Utara · Padang Lawas · Padang Lawas Utara · Pakpak Bharat · Serdang Bedagai · Simalungun · Tapanuli Utara · Toba Samosir
Updated 16 October 2026.