Pekanbaru Declares Emergency Alert for Forest and Land Fires
Pekanbaru City Government has officially declared an Emergency Alert Status for Forest and Land Fires (Karhutla). The move aims to expedite preparedness across all local elements to anticipate potential Karhutla due to the Super El Niño effect.
The emergency alert status is formalised in a decree signed by Pekanbaru Mayor Agung Nugroho, effective from 21 May to 30 November 2026.
“It has been signed and will take effect from 21 May to 30 November 2026,” Agung stated on Friday (29 May).
“The declaration is based on accumulated incident reports from the Pekanbaru Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD),” he explained.
According to January to May 2026 data, 61 land fire incidents have occurred in Pekanbaru, burning a total area of 34.9 hectares.
The city’s decision is also reinforced by early warnings from Pekanbaru’s Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG).
BMKG predicts Pekanbaru will enter the El Niño dry season with moderate to strong intensity, peaking between June and November 2026.
This legal step also represents layered coordination, in line with the Riau Governor’s decree on provincial-level emergency alert status for Karhutla.
The recommendation for Pekanbaru’s emergency alert status was unanimously agreed upon during last week’s Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) meeting.
“The Forkopimda meeting agreed to recommend that Pekanbaru’s mayor immediately declare the Emergency Alert Status for Forest and Land Fires to ensure public safety,” he added.
Meanwhile, Pekanbaru BPBD Acting Head Iwa Gemino issued strict warnings to residents against causing fires, including prohibiting indiscriminate trash burning or land clearing by burning.
He urged residents to immediately report any fire hotspots to the Pekanbaru TRC emergency service at 112.
“We remind residents to maintain health by drinking more water during the prolonged El Niño dry season,” he concluded.
This year’s fire patterns threaten to mirror the 1997-98 disaster that destroyed 10-11 million hectares of land, potentially extending into 2027.
Forest and land fire (Karhutla) areas in Riau Province, exacerbated by Super El Niño, have reached 14,855 hectares from January to April 2026, raising growing concerns.
Karhutla in Riau Province continues to spread, with current burned areas exceeding 745.5 hectares.
Several Pekanbaru BPBD personnel remain on standby at fire sites even after successful extinguishment efforts.
Pekanbaru’s air quality is shrouded in Karhutla smog, with the mayor advising schools to have students wear masks.