Prabowo Orders Acceleration of Disaster Management and Forest Fire Prevention
President Prabowo Subianto has requested that disaster management in several regions be continuously strengthened, including the post-earthquake recovery in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), the handling of the impacts of Mount Merapi’s eruption, and the prevention of forest and land fires (karhutla) in Sumatra and Kalimantan. These instructions were delivered during a meeting between President Prabowo, the Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Chiefs of the Armed Forces, and several cabinet ministers at his residence in Hambalang, Bogor Regency, West Java, on Saturday (2_29).
The meeting, which lasted from afternoon until evening, served as a forum for the President to receive reports regarding the progress of disaster management and recovery efforts in various regions. Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya stated that the President received reports concerning recovery steps following the earthquake that struck Flores, East Nusa Tenggara, as well as the management of the impacts of the Mount Merapi eruption.
In addition to geological disasters, the President also highlighted the potential for forest and land fires in the Kalimantan and Sumatra regions. He requested that field operations do not merely rely on reactive measures after fires occur, but also strengthen preventative measures. One emphasised effort is to optimise the role of the Village Supervisory Non-Commissioned Officers (Babinsa) to increase community awareness regarding the dangers of forest and land burning. Babinsa, who are directly embedded within the community, are expected to actively provide education to residents regarding the risks of burning and the importance of protecting forest and land areas.
“The President wants education regarding the dangers of forest burning to be provided by Babinsa in villages to residents, so that we can collectively protect our forests and lands,” concluded Teddy. Strengthening education at the village level is expected to encourage community involvement in preventing forest fires while simultaneously strengthening government efforts to address fire threats at an early stage.
During the meeting, the President was accompanied by the Minister of Defence, the Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, the State Secretary, and the Cabinet Secretary, alongside the leadership of the TNI. President Prabowo Subianto noted that disaster management in several areas is beginning to be successfully addressed and mitigated, an achievement attributed to the large-scale deployment of government resources.
The government is accelerating emergency response to the M7.7 earthquake in Flores, NTT. The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) recorded 54 fatalities and has deployed 11 aircraft to distribute logistics to isolated areas. Of the 21 hospitals on Flores Island, 16 suffered heavy damage, while four remain partially operational. The government is accelerating post-earthquake recovery in NTT by sending 27 tonnes of logistics and deploying 3,500 TNI-Polri personnel to the affected areas.
Efforts to strengthen regional preparedness for fires and natural disasters continue through the addition of supporting facilities. Meanwhile, the Governor of Central Kalimantan, Agustiar Sabran, has requested that all forest and land fire (karhutla) management forces be optimised, including the deployment of water bombing operations. The national number of hotspots has increased to 18,065 points. The Ministry of Forestry is strengthening forest fire control in Kalimantan and Sumatra, even though some areas have begun to show a decline.