Prabowo Seeks Input from Professors and Experts to Tackle Forest and Land Fires

President Prabowo Subianto said he had sought input from professors and experts to address the increasingly alarming forest and land fires in several parts of Indonesia.

He made the remarks during a limited meeting on forest and land fires held in a hybrid format at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta on Monday, 12 October 2026.

“On the smoke problem [caused by the fires], we will ask our professors for their input on what to do,” Prabowo said, as quoted on Tuesday, 13 October 2026.

The President said he had discussed the fires when he invited experts and specialists. He acknowledged that one of the simplest ways to extinguish them was to bring on rain.

However, Prabowo said he wanted to prioritise prevention to ensure the problem did not recur.

“I think it is true that, in the end, all you need is rain — water. But, based on the strategy we discussed when I gathered experts from universities, professors and specialists from the regions themselves, the main steps will be precise prevention and mitigation at the lowest level, in the villages,” he said.

The government is not yet planning to designate the forest and land fires as a national disaster. Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Dudung Abdurachman said the government was still capable of handling them.

“Not yet, not yet. We are still able to deal with them,” Dudung said at the Presidential Palace complex on Monday, 12 October 2026.

Asked about assistance from other countries, Dudung said the matter had not been discussed with President Prabowo.

“Not yet. It wasn’t discussed earlier,” he said.

The former Army chief said the government was committed to resolving the fires as quickly as possible, adding that Prabowo was giving the issue serious attention.