Ministry of Forestry handles forest and land fires spanning 78.2 hectares in Riau in March
Jakarta — The Ministry of Forestry continues efforts to control forest and land fires at several locations in Riau ahead of Eid al-Fitr, with intervention on land spanning 78.2 hectares completed by mid-March.
“As hotspots were monitored at various locations, Manggala Agni in coordination with other local stakeholders reported efforts to address forest and land fires. From 1-15 March 2026, a total of 48 fire suppression operations were conducted, successfully handling 78.2 hectares of affected area across Dumai, Bengkalis, Pelalawan, Rokan Hilir, Indragiri Hilir, and Kampar districts,” explained Thomas Nifinluri, Director of Forest Fire Control at the Ministry of Forestry, in a statement released in Jakarta on Monday.
He noted that based on monitoring via the ministry’s SiPongi website using NASA Terra/Aqua satellite imagery with high confidence levels through 15 March 2026, Riau province showed 49 hotspots, predominantly in Pelalawan district with 42 points, two in Indragiri Hilir, four in Dumai, and one in Kampar.
For fire suppression operations in Rantau Bais, Rokan Hilir, three Manggala Agni teams have been deployed, comprising units from Manggala Agni Operations Centre Sumatera VI/Siak, Daops Manggala Agni Sumatera II/South Labuhanbatu, and one team from Daops Manggala Agni Sumatera V/Dumai.
Conditions have improved considerably, evidenced by the Riau-North Sumatera main road remaining clear without smoke disruptions.
Beyond fire suppression operations, aerial patrol monitoring has been intensified to enhance early detection and accelerate field response. Helicopter patrols are currently en route to Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base in Pekanbaru, South Sumatra to support aerial surveillance operations monitoring fire-prone areas in Riau.
Thomas stated that aerial patrol operations are planned to continue through the end of April with approximately 65 flight hours total. During the operations, the Air Task Force will be stationed at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base in Pekanbaru as the coordination centre for aerial patrols across Riau.
The aerial patrol team will involve multiple inter-agency elements integrated within the Air Task Force. “The patrol team, comprising personnel from the Ministry of Forestry, Regional Disaster Management Agency, Provincial Environmental and Forest Service, National Search and Rescue Agency, the Air Force, and the Riau Provincial Government, will conduct scheduled aerial patrols to strengthen monitoring of fire-prone zones and support early detection of forest and land fires,” Nifinluri explained.