Forestry Ministry Deploys Additional Manggala Agni Personnel to Tackle Sumatra Forest Fires

The Ministry of Forestry (Kemenhut) is strengthening forest and land fire (karhutla) control operations in several strategic areas on Sumatra Island. The move is being executed by deploying Manggala Agni personnel en masse to Aceh, Riau, Jambi, and South Sumatra to mitigate the risk of hotspots spreading. The operational reinforcement is commanded by the Sumatra Regional Forest Fire Control Centre (Balai Dalkarhut Sumatra) under the Directorate General of Forestry Law Enforcement. Field personnel are focused on three main actions: early suppression, cooling down, and intensive prevention patrols. Director General of Forestry Law Enforcement, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, affirmed that Manggala Agni serves as the front line, working in cooperation with the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), the military, police, and the community. However, he cautioned that suppression alone is insufficient without collective awareness. ‘Karhutla prevention cannot rely solely on firefighters. The key remains shared vigilance, refraining from land clearing by fire, and immediately reporting signs of fires from the outset,’ Dwi stated on Friday (5/6). In Aceh Province, fires were detected in Kayee Unou Village and Babah Lueng Village in Nagan Raya Regency. Manggala Agni personnel from the Sumatera I Sibolangit Operational Unit have been deployed to extinguish fires in difficult peatland terrain alongside the local joint team. Meanwhile in Riau, the fires have spread to four locations, including Siak, Rokan Hilir, and Pelalawan Regencies, and a new hotspot on Rupat Island in Bengkalis Regency. To accelerate handling on Rupat Island, the Sumatra Forest Fire Control Centre mobilised personnel across operational areas, from Pekanbaru and Jambi City to Muara Tebo. Positive reports emerged from Jambi and South Sumatra. In Batanghari Regency, Jambi, a team successfully suppressed a fire in Durian Luncuk Village on Tuesday (2/6). On the same day, the Manggala Agni Daops XIV Banyuasin unit, supported by water bombing helicopters, completed suppression operations in Ogan Ilir, South Sumatra. Head of the Sumatra Forest Fire Control Centre, Ferdian Krisnanto, stated that the cross-operational unit reinforcement strategy was crucial to ensure field personnel do not suffer fatigue and receive adequate support. ‘In peatland areas, the team continues to conduct re-inspections and cooling until completion. We monitor hotspots in real-time for early detection and rapid action before fires spread,’ Ferdian concluded. The Ministry of Forestry has again urged businesses and the public to protect the environment and avoid using burning methods for land clearing, given the increasingly dry weather conditions across most parts of Sumatra.