Government Focuses on Forest Fire Management in Six High-Risk Provinces

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government is focusing its forest and land fire (karhutla) handling efforts on six provinces deemed most vulnerable, namely Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan.

“Among the regions we are watching as the most critical areas are six provinces, namely Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and Riau,” said Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Djamari Chaniago during a press conference in Jakarta on Monday.

According to Djamari, these six provinces are of particular concern because they contain peatland areas that are prone to burning during dry conditions in the dry season, a situation worsened by the influence of El Niño.

In addition to these six provinces, fires have also occurred in several other areas, including the Mount Bromo area in East Java, Mount Gede Pangrango in West Java, and Mount Rinjani in West Nusa Tenggara.

The government has deployed around 43 helicopters to assist with aerial firefighting efforts in various affected regions.

“We have deployed around 43 helicopters as of today, plus fixed-wing aircraft ranging from 10 to 15 depending on requirements,” he said.

In addition to aerial firefighting, the government is carrying out ground-based operations using flexible tanks as temporary water storage to support personnel in the field.

Djamari said the government continues to strengthen coordination with regional governments and relevant agencies to ensure that fire handling is carried out in an integrated manner.

The government has also recorded that the total area of land burned has reached approximately 107 thousand hectares. However, efforts continue to control hotspots and prevent the fires from spreading further.