Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin has called on the public and businessmen to assist in addressing the forest and land fires (Karhutla) in several regions.
He said that all parties need to work together, do gotong royong, to handle these, including by mobilizing their available resources. Therefore, according to him, resolving the issue depends on the stakeholders’ role.
“I have informed business owners who possess heavy equipment and water-bombing helicopters to provide assistance to BNPB (the National Disaster Management Agency),” he said after a meeting with Commission I of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) at the parliamentary complex in Jakarta on Monday.
Separately, he noted that the budget ceiling allocated to the Defense Ministry covers two types of targets, namely programmatic targets and dynamic targets. Handling forest and land fires and earthquakes are dynamic targets.
“We will also receive state defense budget support to accelerate the response to earthquake and forest fire disasters,” he said.
Earlier, hundreds of TNI personnel who joined the Forest and Land Fire Prevention Task Force arrived at the Dhomber Air Force Base Operations Center in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan Province, to bolster efforts in areas prone to such disasters.
They, comprising the Karhutla Outreach Team and Karhutla “Alpha” Team, used an Indonesian Air Force C-130H Hercules aircraft.
“We want early prevention. Personnel will not only provide outreach and education, but also build awareness and encourage the community to work together in protecting the environment to prevent Karhutla,” Brigadier General Andy Setyawan, Chief of Staff of the VI/Mulawarman Regional Military Command (Kasdam), said after welcoming the troops in Balikpapan on Saturday.
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Translator: Bagus A, Asri Mayang Sari
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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