Gov’t to Tackle Forest, Land Fire during El Niño

Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi in a press statement at the Nusantara III Building of the DPR/MPR RI complex in Jakarta on Monday (08/10).

Following President Prabowo Subianto’s directives on addressing forest and land fires, the Government has taken several measures, from monitoring hotspots and preparing weather modification operations to deploying helicopters and aircraft to support firefighting efforts.

“There are still many forest and land fires occurring in several parts of Indonesia during the El Niño period. Some of the areas with the highest number of hotspots are West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan provinces, while a significant fire has also occurred in East Java, in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park,” Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said in a press statement at the Nusantara III Building of the DPR/MPR RI complex in Jakarta on Monday (08/10).

According to the Minister, the Government is focusing its attention on the fire in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park area in East Java.

“We continue to coordinate with the East Java provincial government, as well as with the regional military commander, the provincial police chief, and the Minister of Forestry, along with all relevant officials and the Head of the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park Office, to make every possible effort to carry out firefighting operations as quickly as possible so that the fire does not continue to spread,” he said.

In addition, the Government is also preparing to utilize technology to support forest and land fire control.

“We also held a meeting with the BMKG (the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency) this morning to plan the weather modification operation. Technically, however, it is not possible to carry out weather modification everywhere. Nevertheless, everything is being monitored, and equipment, including water bombing helicopters and aircraft that can help address forest and land fires, is being prepared,” he said.

Furthermore, the Government is also urging the public to increase vigilance against the potential for fires. The current extremely dry weather conditions are considered to be making several areas increasingly vulnerable to sparks that could develop into uncontrollable fires.

“At the same time, of course, we urge the entire citizens to remain vigilant. The weather conditions are indeed very dry, making areas vulnerable to sparks that could lead to fires. Therefore, we strongly urge everyone to exercise caution and avoid doing anything that could potentially cause uncontrolled fires,” he concluded. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (GWH/AW)