Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs: Private companies must help tackle forest and land fires outside concessions

Pekanbaru, (ANTARA) - The Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Djamari Chaniago, has emphasised that private sector companies are obliged to help tackle forest and land fires that occur outside their concession areas. Speaking after the national readiness drill for forest and land fires in Pekanbaru on Thursday, Chaniago said private firms are not only required to resolve problems within their areas of obligation, but if their capacity can assist outside their own regions, they must be involved.

“So it’s not just saying my area is finished; what if there is no fire then the responsibility to other environments ends? It does not work that way. The company remains involved,” he said.

Therefore, at the readiness drill, companies were asked to prepare equipment. He said the equipment is intended for addressing forest and land fires in Riau.

He stated there are already more than 1,000 hectares of forest and land fires in Riau and they are currently being tackled with weather-modification operations. This is being done not only for present needs but to prepare for the future by storing water for firefighting.

“Because after this, in the next two months it will start to dry; we must. We have stored a substantial reserve of water for future firefighting efforts,” he said.

Thus, the readiness drill, conducted annually, serves to remind and ready the equipment needed and even to enhance the capabilities of the tools used.

The drill also showcased firefighting facilities including two BNPB helicopters for aerial patrols, one weather-modification aircraft, one helicopter from PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper for land-fire suppression.

Additionally, vehicles from the Riau Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), fire engines, and Brimob Police Mobile Brigade vehicles from the Riau Police.

Participants included personnel from the Indonesian Air Force at Lanud Roesmin Nurjadin, the XIX Military Regional Command Tuanku Tambusai, and Manggala Agni of the Ministry of Forestry, Command of Military District 031/Wirabima.

Also present were the Riau Police, BPBD Riau, the Pekanbaru Civil Service Police Unit, the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), and companies such as PT Pertamina Hulu Rokan, PT RAPP, and PT Arara Abadi APP Group.