MPR Speaker: Forest fires concerning, but government serious in handling them

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Ahmad Muzani has stated that the forest and land fires (karhutla) occurring in various regions of Indonesia are quite concerning, but the government is already serious in handling the problem.

Muzani said that the challenges on the ground are not easy, because the terrain affected by the fires stretches widely. On the other hand, water sources are also difficult to obtain due to the prolonged dry season.

“This is somewhat not easy, but I see the spirit of the officers, whether the TNI, Polri, or those handling the karhutla issue, is sincere,” said Muzani in Jakarta on Friday.

According to him, the fire conditions have begun to encroach upon or enter sensitive forest areas, such as conservation zones. In fact, besides Kalimantan and Sumatra, karhutla has also started to occur in Java and Papua.

For that reason, Muzani thanked all those involved in handling the karhutla, which of course is also full of risk.

The MPR Speaker also asked all those involved in handling the karhutla to be careful.

On the other hand, Muzani also invited the public to help the officers handling the forest and land fires.

“The support and assistance received from the community is also, in my view, quite good in providing tasks and smoothness regarding this issue,” he said.

Previously, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) recorded that hotspots in three regions of Kalimantan had increased.

The BNPB Data and Information Centre in Jakarta stated on Thursday (27/8) that Central Kalimantan experienced the largest increase in hotspot locations, with 1,837 new points found.