Samarinda (ANTARA) – The East Kalimantan provincial government has allocated Rp5 billion (around US$281,000) from the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) to support ongoing joint wildfire response operations.
Acting Head of the East Kalimantan Forestry Office Rusmadi said Tuesday that mobilizing the funds was crucial to ensuring effective fire containment while safeguarding personnel involved in the operations.
“FCPF funds worth Rp5 billion are being realized to meet emergency needs amid wildfires, supporting on-the-ground operations by providing food supplies, medicines, facilities, and equipment,” he remarked in Samarinda.
He pointed out that wildfire suppression efforts were being carried out across the province by multiple institutions, including the Forestry Office, police, military, and local administrations and their disaster mitigation agencies.
Rusmadi also highlighted the involvement of more than 5,000 volunteers from community groups promoting wildfire awareness across 10 districts and cities in East Kalimantan.
Community involvement, he said, is a strategic measure to support effective wildfire prevention and response amid the province’s shortage of forest rangers.
The official acknowledged that the Forestry Office had been struggling to oversee more than eight million hectares of forest with only 95 rangers.
East Kalimantan recorded 998 wildfire cases as of Aug. 31, Rusmadi said, adding that 440 occurred in areas monitored by the Forestry Office.
To sustain firefighting and mitigation efforts amid the current dry conditions, the government is seeking to mobilize additional funds.
“The government is presently engaged in discussions to use the remaining Rp19 billion carbon funds strictly to support further wildfire handling measures,” Rusmadi concluded.
As Indonesia continues to grapple with forest and land fires in multiple regions, the central government has directed various institutions to mobilize their resources to support containment measures.
For example, the Forestry Ministry announced the deployment of an additional 1,000 forest rangers to strengthen wildfire response operations across Kalimantan.
The ministry’s Director of Prevention and Complaint Response Yazid Nurhuda explained that the rangers are tasked with patrolling and monitoring fire-prone areas, verifying information, and supporting follow-up measures on suspected wildfire violations.
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Translator: A. Rifandi, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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