DPR urges Forestry Ministry to tackle Kalimantan forest fires before they spread

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Deputy Chairman of Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI), Hanan A Razak, has urged the Ministry of Forestry to immediately tackle forest and land fires (karhutla) occurring at several locations in Kalimantan and to ensure their impact does not spread.

According to him, the government needs to ensure that all ministries, agencies, regional governments, and relevant authorities have integrated measures in place, from prevention to handling when fires occur.

“Collaboration with Forest Farmer Groups (KTH), the Manggala Agni Brigade, and companies that possess light fire extinguishers (APAR) needs to be coordinated and involved in tackling forest and land fires,” said Hanan in Jakarta on Thursday.

He also asked the government to strengthen its coordination role in facing the impact of El Niño, which has the potential to increase drought and the risk of forest and land fires.

According to him, the government needs to immediately collect data on vulnerable areas, the availability of water sources, and the potential impact of fires.

This push is important considering that fires have occurred in several areas of Kalimantan and could spread if not addressed promptly within a well-coordinated working unit.

Strengthening prevention, personnel and equipment readiness, peatland management, hotspot monitoring, and rapid response are considered key to preventing forest and land fires from developing into a wider disaster.

With the potential for a drier dry season and the threat of El Niño, he is confident that synergy between the central government, regional governments, security forces, businesses, and the community will be able to reduce the risk of forest and land fires in Kalimantan.

Based on data as of Wednesday (19/8), air conditions in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, deteriorated drastically, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 487, placing it in the hazardous category.

The thick smoke also directly affected visibility. Visibility in several areas was reported to be only around 1.4 kilometres.

This situation is inseparable from the high level of forest and land fire activity in Central Kalimantan. The same data recorded 1,795 hotspots detected in the Central Kalimantan region.