President commends joint efforts to mitigate Riau forest fires

indonesianupdates.com_admin

2 hours ago

Jakarta (ANTARA) – President Prabowo Subianto commended the synergy among stakeholders in efforts to manage forest fires engulfing several provinces in Indonesia, including Riau.

“I am truly pleased to see your efforts. I believe it should serve as an example for other regions working to control the fires. Your preventive measures are commendable,” the president said at a meeting on forest fire mitigation in Pekanbaru, Riau, on Monday.

The president said the cooperation between regional authorities, the police and the military, the province’s disaster mitigation agency, as well as civil society is vital in controlling the forest fires.

“This is teamwork; I am pleased to see it. I really appreciate your collective work that involves all stakeholders,” Prabowo stated while expressing his gratitude to Riau authorities.

He reaffirmed the central government’s commitment to supporting forest fire mitigation in all affected regions, including by providing additional helicopters and oxygen supply.

The president also emphasized that forest fire operations should go beyond merely controlling fires once they have already engulfed forests. Efforts should also focus on collective prevention and law enforcement, with the continuous involvement of civil society.

Meanwhile, Riau Police Chief Inspector General Herry Heryawan said preventive measures taken by law enforcement institutions include the “multi-door approach” and warning signs at sites affected by forest fires.

“We have installed warning signs that will stand for years to discourage activities at sites affected by forest fires,” Heryawan told the president during the meeting.

The police chief then underscored the synergy in forest fire control infrastructure development, as well as consensus among regional leaders to issue a collective declaration on forest fire mitigation since last year.

Prevention measures, he added, were implemented by strengthening public education, involving local residents at the village level in fire prevention, installing warning signs, and organizing environmental restoration works and joint patrols.