Forestry Minister Says Riau Forest Fire Handling Improving, Urges Officials Not to Be Complacent
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has said that the handling of forest and land fires in Riau Province is improving day by day. Raja Juli urged the ranks of the TNI, Polri, and regional government not to be complacent and to strengthen solidarity so that the forest and land fire problem can be fully resolved.
This was conveyed by Raja Juli while chairing a Coordination Meeting on Forest and Land Fire Control in Riau Province, held at the Riau Regional Police Headquarters in Pekanbaru City. Also present were Acting Governor of Riau SF Hariyanto, Riau Police Chief Inspector General Herry Heryawan, and the Commander of Regional Military Command XIX/Tuanku Tambusai along with members of the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum.
According to the minister’s records, Riau Province ranks low in the number of forest and land fire hotspots across Indonesia. The highest ranking is Central Kalimantan, followed by West Kalimantan in second place, South Sumatra in third, South Kalimantan in fourth, while Riau is in fifth and Jambi in sixth.
“This data shows that forest and land fire management in Riau is improving day by day,” said Raja Juli on Friday (28/8/2026).
However, this achievement must not make all ranks complacent. On the contrary, Raja Juli asked all ranks to strengthen solidarity so that the forest and land fire problem in Riau Province can be resolved promptly.
“Of course, this achievement must not make us complacent or let our guard down. On the contrary, it should serve as motivation, increase optimism, and ignite our spirit to work even better,” he explained.
Citing BMKG predictions, the minister said the fairly strong El Niño phenomenon is expected to subside only in early October, with its peak occurring in September.
“This September will be a test for all of us because the trend of forest and land fire numbers has started to increase from July to August,” he said.
He expressed hope that with increasingly solid working patterns and structures, they will be far better prepared to face the peak of El Niño in September compared to August.