Nurofiq made the statement in response to the ongoing situation in Riau Province, which has seen an exponential expansion of burned land from 546 hectares to nearly one thousand hectares within the last 24 hours.
"We have noticed a repeated, organized pattern here. This is not an ordinary incident—this constitutes an environmental crime that adversely affects air quality, living ecosystems, and public safety," Nurofiq remarked in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The minister urged all local leaders in the province, including mayors and heads of sub-districts and villages, to mobilize resources to intensify land patrols, strengthen monitoring, and conduct widespread public education on the dangers of land burning.
He underlined that the central government views the raging wildfires as an emergency requiring firm and coordinated measures.
Furthermore, Nurofiq assured the public that the government, through the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), has been working to control the blaze, including by conducting weather modification operations.
The BNPB has deployed helicopters to the hotspots, he added.
The minister praised Riau Regional Police Chief Inspector General Herry Heryawan for swift action in response to the fires. He revealed that the regional police had named at least 29 individuals as suspects for allegedly causing the fires by burning 213 hectares of peatland.
"We cannot treat this fire as an ordinary incident, given the significant increase in the affected area within a short period, which indicates weaknesses in monitoring systems and a lack of compliance with land burning prohibitions," he stated.
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Translator: M. Riezko, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Aditya Eko Sigit Wicaksono
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