Sugiono Reveals Prabowo’s Message on Forest and Land Fires, Citing Rainfall
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia — Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Sugiono has instructed officials to strengthen ground patrols and ensure mitigation equipment is fully available, following President Prabowo Subianto’s direction to improve the handling of forest and land fires and prepare for hydrometeorological disasters.
Sugiono made the remarks while chairing an online coordination meeting on updated weather information and stronger ground patrols to tackle forest and land fires on Thursday, 29 October 2026.
At the meeting, he voiced serious concern about the systemic effects of widespread forest and land fires. Fires, he said, were no longer merely an environmental issue: they threatened public health and safety and damaged the resilience of ecosystems as a whole.
“This is a lesson for us: forest and land fires are not merely an ecological issue. They have harmed people’s health and have even claimed lives,” Sugiono said, according to a press release.
Responding to the latest reports from ministers and agency heads on weather conditions and the situation on the ground, he reiterated President Prabowo Subianto’s instructions. All disaster-response personnel and local governments were asked to act proactively and deploy every available resource, rather than relying solely on the weather or natural conditions.
“The President said we should not simply hope that rain will come. Beyond that, we must use all our capabilities, judgement, ideas and strength to anticipate the impact if we face a similar situation again,” he said.
In follow-up to the instructions, Sugiono highlighted new hotspots emerging even as firefighting operations continued. He called for monitoring equipment to be provided more quickly and for tighter field supervision, particularly in priority provinces, to stop deliberate land burning.
“Patrols need to be strengthened because new hotspots are appearing while we are trying to put out fires. Increasing patrols is therefore essential, especially in priority provinces, to deter those who deliberately start fires,” Sugiono said.
The coordination meeting also assessed the risk of hydrometeorological disasters, including floods and landslides, amid changing weather. Sugiono urged local governments to promptly identify their needs for supporting equipment and coordinate directly with the central government. They were also asked to clear rivers still obstructed by debris from previous floods and repair drainage channels.
“Please immediately identify the equipment needed to mitigate the risk of floods and landslides. These requirements can be submitted directly to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) or the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture,” he said.
Through this joint effort, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture said the government would continue to strengthen cross-sector coordination to speed up the response to forest and land fires and improve local preparedness for natural disasters.