Forestry Minister urges fire-prone regions to promptly declare karhutla alert status

Pontianak (ANTARA) - The central government, through the Ministry of Forestry, is encouraging provinces vulnerable to forest and land fires (karhutla) to promptly declare alert status so that budget support and intervention measures can be immediately operationalised in the field. “The state budget has no limits, I repeat, no limits for tackling karhutla. So for regions prone to karhutla, if cases occur, please declare alert status immediately so that handling can be addressed promptly,” said Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni in Pontianak on Thursday. He emphasised that central government budget support is fully open to regions that declare karhutla alert status, as a step to accelerate early handling. He assessed that preventive measures are key to suppressing fire potential, especially in areas with peatland characteristics like West Kalimantan. Such efforts include controlling groundwater levels through technical interventions like rewetting and canal management. In agreement, the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Lieutenant General TNI Suharyanto, assured that karhutla response budgets are prepared without limits and are not affected by efficiency policies, in line with President Prabowo Subianto’s directives. “The central government, on the instructions of the President, states that for disaster response, there are no budget limits, unrelated to efficiency,” he said. BNPB has also implemented this support through integrated operations, one of which is the implementation of weather modification operations to suppress fire potential early, in line with warnings of dry weather conditions from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG). “Well, it’s already being done now. If it rained yesterday, and hopefully this afternoon it rains, that is partly due to weather modification operations,” said Suharyanto. In addition, the government is preparing firefighting support from the air if fires spread and are difficult to reach by ground teams. For West Kalimantan, two aircraft units are prepared as an initial stage, which will be increased as needed. “For West Kalimantan, as of today, two initial aircraft will be prepared. Later, if the fire grows larger, of course, it will be increased,” he said. With this unlimited budget scheme, the government ensures there are no obstacles in mobilising resources, whether personnel, equipment, or technology. “The government hopes that accelerating the declaration of alert status in vulnerable regions can strengthen prevention and handling efforts for karhutla, thereby minimising its impacts on the environment, public health, economic activities, and potential cross-border disruptions,” he said.