According to a statement received in Jakarta on Thursday, the National Police Chief will begin inspecting forest and land fires from Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base in Pekanbaru, Riau.
During this visit, Prabowo will be accompanied by the Head of the National Intelligence Agency (Baintelkam) Commissioner General Syahardiantono, Head of the National Police's Security and Public Order Agency (Baharkam) Commissioner General M. Fadil Imran, Head of the Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) Commissioner General Wahyu Widada, Commander of the Mobile Brigade Corps (Korbrimob) Commissioner General Imam Widodo, and Assistant Chief of Operations (Astamaops) Commissioner General Akhmad Wiyagus.
The first location to be inspected is hotspot one in Rokan Hulu, followed by hotspot two and hotspot three in the same area. After completing the inspection, the group will return to Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base.
In addition to the field inspection, the National Police chief will also listen to presentations on wildfire management in Riau delivered by Head of the Riau Provincial Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) Edy Afrizal and the Directorate of General Crimes of the Riau Regional Police.
Forest and land fires remain a major concern for the government.
Efforts to extinguish the forest and land fires in Riau are still being carried out by a joint team from the Riau Regional Police, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the BPBD, the regional government (Pemda), and several other stakeholders.
One method being applied is weather modification operations (OMC), which have been underway for several days.
"OMC is very effective in extinguishing forest and land fires because it quickly extinguishes large areas of fires by inducing rain. Moreover, peatlands must be continuously moistened," Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), Lieutenant General Suharyanto, stated.
In addition, extra ground personnel have been deployed in four priority areas.
"We have added 100 personnel each to the land task force, assisted by the police and military district command (Kodim), in Bengkalis District, Rokan Hilir District, Rokan Hulu District, and Dumai City," he remarked.
Meanwhile, the Riau Regional Police (Polda Riau) has consistently prosecuted forest and land fire perpetrators in an effort to protect the ecosystem.
In July 2025, the Riau Regional Police arrested 29 suspects in forest and land fire cases, with the total area burned reaching 213 hectares. Meanwhile, from January to July 2025, the Riau Regional Police arrested 44 forest and land fire suspects.
Related news: BMKG records 294 hotspots in Riau; most in Rokan Hilir
Related news: Some 1,060 companies ready to prevent land fires: Minister
Translator: Arie Novarina
Editor: Primayanti
Copyright © ANTARA 2025
