Jakarta: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has ordered authorities to step up firefighting efforts as they continue to battle forest and land fires across six priority provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan, with particular attention also directed to a blaze near the Nusantara Capital (IKN) in East Kalimantan.
According to Nam News Network, during a briefing on Monday, Prabowo instructed officials to assess where firefighting assets were most needed and consider deploying additional resources to the fire near IKN to prevent it from spreading towards the capital's core area. He emphasized the need for more assets to ensure the fire does not reach critical areas.
Prabowo highlighted the need for a comprehensive preparedness master plan to be developed, focusing on having more resources available before fires occur. This includes the deployment of helicopters, water pumps, and small excavators in villages traditionally prone to forest and land fires, as well as additional aircraft for weather modification operations. He also suggested exploring the use of large drones capable of carrying and dropping water in frontline firefighting operations.
National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) chief Suharyanto reported that 72,009 hectares had been burned across the six priority provinces, with 71,069.65 hectares extinguished and another 939.45 hectares still being tackled as of Monday. West Kalimantan recorded the largest cumulative burned area, followed by Riau, which had the largest area still under firefighting operations.
Outside the six priority provinces, Suharyanto noted that another 705.1 hectares were affected, including 458 hectares at Bukit Soeharto in the IKN area of East Kalimantan and 223.5 hectares in Teluk Bintuni, West Papua. Smaller fires were also reported in East and Central Java. A fleet of 55 aircraft is supporting the firefighting operations, with additional Chinook helicopters from Japan expected soon.
National Police Chief Gen Listyo Sigit Prabowo disclosed that police were handling 200 reports related to forest and land fires, with 138 suspects identified. This includes 119 cases of deliberate burning, while eight corporations are under investigation. Further investigations are being conducted into 18 other companies, with 42 companies having received administrative sanctions.
In response, President Prabowo ordered further investigations into companies linked to land that was rapidly converted into plantations after fires, stressing the need to identify the corporations involved. He suggested immediate revocation of permits and land-use rights if necessary, stating that the situation has gone too far.