Ministry identifies seven peat hotspots highly prone to wildfires
Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, during a forest and land fire control routine at PT Pertamina Hulu Rokan here on Saturday, said that Riau Province, with peatlands covering nearly half of its land area, is highly prone to wildfires.
“This drought potential will be exacerbated in areas dominated by peat water ecosystems. With just a single spark, forest and land fires can occur on a massive and severe scale. Therefore, early preparedness is increasingly necessary,” he said.
He added that rainfall this year is projected to be the lowest in the past 30 years, at around 100 millimeters. In 1996-1997, massive fires occurred, burning hundreds of thousands to millions of hectares of forest and causing significant losses.
He therefore called for preparedness from the Manggala Agni Forest Fire Control Center, along with firefighting teams from various parties, including the Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association (GAPKI) and the Indonesian Forest Entrepreneurs Association (APHI), to take mitigation measures against forest and land fires.
“I strongly hope this activity does not stop at a ceremonial level. We need to take tactical operational planning steps by increasing meetings at the field level, led by mayors and district heads in their respective regions,” he said.
He also called for the reactivation of community-based fire awareness groups in fire-prone areas. The more monitoring points established, the more effectively forest and land fires can be anticipated.
“I encourage concession holders, both in the forestry sector and in oil palm plantation concessions…to activate and establish fire brigades and community fire awareness groups in vulnerable areas,” he said.
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Translator: Bayu, Kenzu