President Prabowo Orders Special Attention to Forest and Land Fires in Tanjung Puting National Park

President Prabowo Subianto has instructed that efforts to handle forest and land fires in Tanjung Puting National Park, Central Kalimantan province, must receive special attention. The President gave the directive during a meeting on the latest developments in forest and land fire management at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Monday (10/12).

At the meeting, Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Suharyanto reported that new fires had been detected in Tanjung Puting National Park, covering an area of approximately 513.89 hectares. Suppression efforts are being carried out by strengthening ground task force teams, while aerial operations remain constrained by poor visibility due to thick smoke.

President Prabowo stressed that Tanjung Puting must be seriously protected as it is a national park.

“Tanjung Puting National Park should receive attention because it is a national park,” the President said.

He also emphasized the importance of strengthening the presence of forest police to safeguard forest areas across Indonesia. The President ordered to increase the number and capacity of forest police personnel gradually so that forest protection and fire prevention efforts can become more effective.

“Therefore, please convey to the Minister of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform that I am requesting 70,000 forest police because the Government must protect the forests,” the President said, while also asking the Indonesian National Police (Polri) to support efforts to strengthen the capacity of forest police. “The National Police Chief can later help train forest police,” he added.

During the meeting, Commander of Military Regional Command XXII/Tambun Bungai Major General TNI Zainul Arifin reported on conditions on the ground in Tanjung Puting. According to him, the fire locations are scattered, situated in swamp areas, and difficult to access by vehicles.

One of the needs on the ground is small water pumps to support firefighting efforts. When the regional military commander stated a need for around 50 water pumps, President Prabowo immediately decided to provide support in a larger quantity.

“How many water pumps do you need? 50? I will send 200,” the President said.

In addition to pumps, the regional military commander also reported the need for water drilling teams, as the characteristics of the swamp area allow water sources to be obtained by drilling to a depth of around 10 to 15 meters. President Prabowo then provided support for the construction of 200 water drilling points, with a budget of Rp2 billion.

“I will send Rp2 billion for 200 points,” the President said.

He also ordered to involve local communities in the construction of the drilling points. According to him, rapid actions on the ground must go hand in hand with strengthened prevention strategies to prevent the fires from spreading further. (BPMI of Presidential Secretariat) (EST/MMB)