Facing Super El Niño Threat, Riau Police Chief Directly Oversees Land and Forest Fire Handling in Bengkalis
Bengkalis, VIVA – Riau Police Chief Irjen Herry Heryawan directly visited the site of a land and forest fire (karhutla) in Sekodi Village, Bengkalis District, Bengkalis Regency, on Friday, 3 April, to ensure that the extinguishing process was carried out to the maximum while providing moral support to the joint team in the field.
During the inspection, the Police Chief was accompanied by Professor Bambang Hero Suharjo, Professor from Bogor Agricultural Institute (IPB) in the field of forest protection, as well as Bengkalis Police Chief AKBP Fahrian Saleh Siregar.
Their presence served as a strong symbol that karhutla handling in Riau is being carried out in an integrated manner, combining operational and scientific approaches.
Amid field conditions still filled with hotspots, Irjen Herry directly greeted personnel from BPBD, TNI, Polri, Manggala Agni, volunteers, and the Fire Care Community (MPA) who continue to struggle with extinguishing efforts.
“We are here to provide motivation, moral support, and ensure that extinguishing efforts are carried out to the maximum. This cannot be done individually, but must be collaborative involving all parties,” said Herry.
He emphasised that the strategic steps currently being taken are to find and extinguish hotspots as early as possible so that the fire does not spread, especially ahead of the peak dry season.
“It is better to work hard now before entering the peak dry season, rather than later extinguishing in much larger and more difficult conditions,” he asserted.
The Police Chief also stressed that in addition to extinguishing, law enforcement is an important aspect in handling karhutla. Throughout 2025, Polda Riau has handled 74 karhutla cases with the same number of suspects.
“Law enforcement must be firm and just. There should be no tolerance for arsonists, whether intentional or hiding behind negligence excuses,” he explained.
As a preventive measure, Polda Riau together with stakeholders has installed hundreds of warning signs in karhutla-prone areas. These signs not only contain criminal threats but also prohibitions on utilising burnt land.
“We want a deterrent effect. Land that has been burnt must not be utilised again, including for palm oil planting. This is part of the moratorium efforts so that similar incidents do not recur,” he added.
Meanwhile, Prof. Bambang Hero Suharjo reminded that this year’s situation requires extra vigilance following signals of the Super El Niño phenomenon, which has the potential to trigger prolonged drought and worsen karhutla.