During a coordination meeting on forest and land fire control in West Kalimantan on Friday, General Prabowo listed deliberate burning and natural fire outbreaks due to peatland dryness as the two chief causes of fires.
“There are still fire sources that arise from deliberate burning and from dry peat areas, which can ignite fires naturally. Therefore, monitoring must continue to be tightened,” he said.
He then emphasized the importance of establishing monitoring posts in fire-prone areas, with monitoring teams, comprising members from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD), Manggala Agni firefighting brigade, PT RNI, and volunteers, using technology like satellites to detect hotspots early.
The police chief further stressed that traditional practices based on local wisdom, such as land burning, are permitted under the provisions of the Job Creation Law.
However, they can only be carried out if strict technical requirements are met, such as the establishment of firebreaks and strict supervision of the burning process.
“Local wisdom can still be implemented, but there must be strict technical regulations to prevent major fires. This needs to be continuously disseminated to permit-issuing officers,” he said.
General Prabowo also asked all stakeholders in areas at risk of forest and land fires to ensure the availability of water sources, such as reservoirs, canals, rivers, and dams, which can be used for firefighting, either manually or through water bombing.
“Ensure that there are sufficient water sources around fire-prone areas for rapid response,” he said.
He also emphasized the importance of adapting firefighting equipment to the characteristics of each region and the need for cross-sector coordination to ensure more effective and integrated forest and land fire management.
As part of a long-term solution, the National Police chief expressed support for the proposal to convert land that is routinely burnt every year into productive agricultural land to support national food security.
“We need evaluation and research to address recurring fires. If possible, convert frequently burned peatlands into food crops,” he said.
Meanwhile, West Kalimantan Governor Ria Norsan said that the forest and land fire situation in his region has shown significant improvement. Rainfall over the past few days has greatly assisted the firefighting process at fire sites.
“The weather in West Kalimantan has started to rain, and now, the fires are out. There are still one or two hotspots, but they are not too large,” the governor informed.
Norsan also lauded the hard work of all elements involved in the handling of the forest and land fires, including the West Kalimantan provincial government, the West Kalimantan Regional Police, Manggala Agni, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), volunteers, and the community.
“Thank God, the results are very satisfactory. Cross-sectoral collaboration is going well,” he said.
“Thank you for the support from the central government and the visits of the National Police chief and the Minister of Environment and Forestry. Hopefully, this will bring blessings to West Kalimantan,” he added.
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Translator: Arie Novarina
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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