Gov’t Pledges Full Support for Handling Forest and Land Fires in Various Regions

The Government has pledged full support for handling forest and land fires occurring in various regions across Indonesia. The Government is also allowing local authorities to adjust their response measures based on specific conditions and needs on the ground.

“Yesterday, we coordinated with the Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs Prof. Pratikno. One of the points we discussed was that it is okay for doing adjustments if it is considered necessary based on the condition on the grounds in each respective region,” Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said in his press statement at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on Wednesday (8/12).

Minister Prasetyo said that the Government has also coordinated with all relevant parties to ensure there are no obstacles in both administrative and logistical issues during the fire handling process. This support is provided to fulfil all the needs on the grounds and perform firefighting efforts optimally.

“Alhamdulillah, regarding the situation reported, such as in Bromo, there were two remaining hotspots yesterday. This was due to the El Niño conditions, which were quite dry and intense, making the extinguishing process difficult,” he said.

On the occasion, the Minister of State Secretary also expressed his appreciation to all personnel and the community involved in handling the fires. He further urged all parties to cooperate in avoiding activities that could potentially spark new hotspots.

“For instance, people should not carelessly dispose cigarette butts or matches, nor should people engage in indiscriminate land clearing. This happens in some places that people are used to do land clearing by burning lands. Therefore, we urge everyone to work together to mitigate this issue and ensure rapid response to resolve these forest and land fire incidents,” he stated. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (JAS/AW)