The ministry's Director General of Law Enforcement, Dwi Januanto Nugroho, stated on Tuesday that his office, together with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), the Riau Provincial Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), and the Indonesian Air Force, officially launched the third phase of OMC in Riau Province.
"This OMC is a strategic step during the extension of the Forest and Land Fire Emergency Response period declared by the Riau Provincial Government. This operation will last for the next 10 days with funding support from the Ministry of Forestry," Nugroho explained.
The Riau Provincial Government had earlier declared a state of emergency for forest and land fires from July 22 to August 4, 2025, under Riau Governor's Decree No. 682 of 2025. Based on an evaluation by the Disaster Task Force, this emergency status was extended by two weeks.
In response, Nugroho emphasized the need to strengthen mitigation measures, including ground firefighting operations by the Ministry of Forestry's Manggala Agni alongside the Riau Province Forest and Land Fire Control Task Force, as well as aerial efforts, such as patrols, water bombing, and OMC.
He stated that the first phase of OMC took place on May 2-12, 2025, and the second phase from July 21 to August 9, 2025, with funding support from the BNPB.
Based on rainfall monitoring during that period, Rokan Hilir District experienced rain for five days, while Rokan Hulu District had eight rainy days.
According to data from the Forestry Ministry, July 2025 saw 142 forest and land fire incidents, affecting an estimated area of 1,768.01 hectares. Meanwhile, as of August 9, 2025, there were 93 more incidents covering about 1,150.60 hectares.
Currently, the Ministry of Forestry's Manggala Agni troops continue firefighting and cooling (mopping up) operations in the Indragiri Hilir and Rokan Hilir areas.
"The Ministry of Forestry is committed to controlling forest and land fires, both through ground fire extinguishing and aerial response. With all our efforts and prayers, we hope the forest and land fires in Riau will soon be under control," he remarked.
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Translator: Prisca Triferna, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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