"Some time ago, the president summoned the ministers to a forest and land fire coordination meeting. He was proud of the work of the regional task force," Nurofiq remarked during a working visit here on Thursday.
During a working visit to South Kalimantan Province, the minister conveyed several points and directions from the president to be forwarded to the task force in the regions in dealing with land fires.
These instructions include the need for early detection and rapid response to every land fire incident, conducting routine patrols in areas prone to forest and land fires, activating all field posts, especially in vulnerable areas, and closely monitoring hotspots periodically, as the speed of response is critical in fire management.
He also highlighted the need for cross-sector coordination, as synergy between institutions is key to success.
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He emphasized community-based prevention, encouraging public education to discourage land clearing by burning, and strengthening the role of fire-aware communities and disaster-resilient villages.
The minister stated that these key points of this management had been discussed in a national coordination meeting and now serve as a regional reference for the sustainable prevention and handling of forest and land fires.
Moreover, he said over 80 percent of fires occur in residential areas, with only around 20 percent arising in forest areas.
To this end, the minister emphasized that national control measures must be implemented in the regions to prevent the spread of forest and land fires to other areas prone to fire.
"The soil in South Kalimantan is still wet, so it is impossible for it to catch fire; it must be human-caused. Therefore, the president has ordered the region to increase public awareness," the minister affirmed.
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Translator: Tumpal Andani Aritonang, Katriana
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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