Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry has deployed an additional 1,000 forest rangers to support wildfire prevention and early detection measures and advance investigations into potential offenses linked to forest and land fires in several Kalimantan regions.
Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni first announced the mobilization while observing wildfire response operations in South Kalimantan on Sunday (Aug. 23).
Director of Prevention and Complaint Response at the Forestry Ministry Yazid Nurhuda noted in a statement here on Thursday that the personnel are also tasked with responding to public reports regarding wildfire risks.
“Wildfire response requires rapid flows of accurate information. Every public report concerning alleged burning, illegal land clearing, and other activities that can cause fires will be verified and followed up alongside relevant units,” he said.
Nurhuda elaborated that the Forestry Ministry directs the forest rangers to patrol and monitor fire-prone areas, verify information, and support follow-up measures on suspected wildfire violations.
He further noted that the deployment is expected to strengthen ongoing firefighting operations jointly undertaken by the ministry’s Manggala Agni fire brigade, regional governments, the police, the military, and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
The official also encouraged residents not to hesitate to contact authorities if they discover indications of activities that could trigger forest and land fires.
He underscored public participation as key to enabling the government to take immediate measures to contain fires and avert wider impacts on society.
“Residents can play an active role by conveying information through the official reporting channel of our Law Enforcement Directorate General,” Nurhuda said, encouraging the public to access pengaduan.gakkum.kehutanan.go.id to report their findings.
He assured the public that all reports submitted would receive a response, reaffirming the government’s commitment to preventing and combating wildfires.
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Translator: P.T. Violleta, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Primayanti
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