Minister urges public to help prevent forest and land fires

Malang, East Java (ANTARA) - Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni has urged the public to participate in helping the government prevent forest and land fires (karhutla), including by minimising the use of fire when conducting activities in forest areas.

“At the same time, the public should participate in helping to resolve this problem, and most importantly, there should be no more playing with fire, whether it is cigarettes or, even worse, land clearing, especially outside Java,” he said after inspecting the firefighting process in the Mount Bromo area, East Java, Sunday.

He stated that during the dry season, which is accompanied by the El Niño phenomenon, the potential for forest and land fires is significant, and therefore the situation requires attention from the public. He stressed that public participation would strengthen government policies in facing the dry season coupled with El Niño.

Regarding the handling of the fire in the Mount Bromo area, he said the entire process is being carried out comprehensively so that the blaze can be extinguished as quickly as possible.

At the same location, East Java Deputy Governor Emil Elestianto Dardak said the handling of the Mount Bromo fire prioritises collaboration among all stakeholders at the regional and central levels. He noted that one of the main focuses of the operation is in the Pasuruan area, where water bombing is being conducted.

“There is one additional hotspot, so an expansion from the initial point, but the focus of the water bombing is in the Pasuruan area, specifically a location called Dingklik,” he said.