In a statement on Tuesday, BNPB Head Suharyanto reported that all districts and cities in Riau were affected by forest and land fires as of July 20, 2025. Therefore, an integrated response must be carried out promptly on the ground.
His side noted that forest and land fires currently impact 12 districts and cities in Riau. Kampar and Bengkalis are suffering the most damage, with over 100 hectares of land burned, followed by Rokan Hilir, Siak, and Indragiri Hilir districts, each with over 50 hectares affected.
"We are adding patrol helicopters and water bombing operations on Wednesday," Suharyanto confirmed.
The agency is doubling its patrol helicopters from one to two and raising the number of water bombing helicopters to five. This measure follows the increasingly widespread development of fire hotspots in peatlands and open areas.
According to Suharyanto, the third phase of the OMC began on Monday (July 21) and is scheduled to continue for five days. Preliminary results show light rain in several areas, including Indragiri Hilir, Kuala Kampar, Siak, Batang Cenaku, and Bangkinang.
"The rainfall is still minimal since it depends on cloud growth. However, we hope this will help moisten the land and prevent the fire from spreading," he stated.
He remarked that the BNPB is also distributing additional firefighting equipment to ground troops, including water pumps, portable water tanks, breathing devices, forest and land fire motorcycles, and personal protective equipment.
Personnel from the 031/Wira Bima Military Command (Korem) and the Riau Regional Police have been deployed to support firefighting efforts, alongside personnel from the Ministry of Forestry's Manggala Agni in Riau.
In addition, Suharyanto revealed that 16 people have been named suspects in Riau's karhutla cases.
He emphasized that such effort demonstrates forest and land fire management through strict law enforcement against perpetrators of land fires.
"Forest and land fire control is not merely about extinguishing fires. Any indication of deliberate burning must be prosecuted according to applicable law," he emphasized.
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Translator: M. Riezko Bima, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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