Speaking after a coordination meeting in Jakarta on Monday, he spoke of having briefed relevant ministries and agencies on the results of the 19th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution (AATHP) held in Bangkok, Thailand, last week.
Nurrofiq then told reporters that the Ministry of Environment would organize a follow-up meeting with Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs Budi Gunawan, who is tasked with synergizing the government's measures against forest and land fires.
"We will make early preparations and assure all people of the government's readiness to deal with the potential for forest and land fires in Indonesia. Our commitment is to minimize the potential to the best extent," he emphasized.
The minister then highlighted the importance of collaboration among the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), National Police (Polri), ministries, central agencies, regional governments, and members of the public to prevent and handle forest and land fires.
To that end, he affirmed that the government plans to organize a plenary meeting in early January next year to coordinate preparatory measures against such fires and ensure the readiness of officers in the field.
"It remains critical for us to pursue a sound level of preparedness even though the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency has projected a normal duration of heat (dry season) in 2025," he emphasized.
At the regional meeting on AATHP on December 18 in Bangkok, Nurrofiq reiterated Indonesia's commitment to combating transboundary haze in Southeast Asia by implementing the agreement.
He also stated that under President Prabowo Subianto's administration, Indonesia has decided to designate the newly established Ministry of Environment as the national coordinator for the AATHP.
Related news: Indonesia intensifies forest fire control in disaster alert areas
Related news: Indonesian govt ensuring forest fires handled well
Translator: Prisca T, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
Copyright © ANTARA 2024
