Riau Government Says Forest Fires Under Control, Task Force Collaboration Key

The Riau Provincial Government has stated that forest and land fires (karhutla) in its territory remain under control. Collaboration among the Karhutla Task Force is the main key to handling the fires.

“Handling of karhutla in Riau so far is under control. There are indeed several areas burning, but they have been handled by the Ground and Air Task Forces,” said Head of the Riau Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Edy Afrizal, as reported by detikSumut on Friday (7/8/2026).

BPBD Riau noted that a total of 11 tonnes of salt have been seeded to tackle the fires. As a result, rain has occurred in several areas following the Weather Modification Operation (OMC).

“A total of 11 tonnes of NaCl have been dispersed as part of the OMC in Pelalawan and Siak. Alhamdulillah, rain has already fallen in several areas with light to moderate intensity,” said Edy.

In addition, five water-bombing helicopters and patrol helicopters have been deployed in efforts to extinguish fires in locations that are difficult for the Ground Task Force to reach.

Meanwhile, Acting Governor of Riau SF Hariyanto said that karhutla in Riau Province is under control thanks to the collaboration of the Karhutla Task Force, which consists of the TNI, Polri, BPBD, Manggala Agni and the community.

“We, the Riau Provincial Government together with the TNI, Polri, district/city BPBDs, Manggala Agni and a number of companies continue to collaborate in the field. Including fire-aware communities and volunteers working together on the ground,” said SF Hariyanto.

SF revealed that in handling karhutla, the Air Task Force team has also been carrying out Weather Modification Operations (OMC) since 30 May–5 August 2026. The OMC is conducted by seeding salt into the skies over Riau using a Cessna Caravan 208 aircraft provided by BNPB.

As a result of the OMC, a number of areas such as Siak, Bengkalis, Pelalawan, Indragiri Hulu, Indragiri Hilir, Kepulauan Riau and Rokan Hilir have experienced rain with light to moderate intensity. This condition is confirmed to serve as a control measure and reduce heat intensity in those areas.