Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — The recent surge in land fires in Riau Province has drawn serious attention from the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Indonesia. Over the past week, the Riau Regional Police arrested 29 individuals strongly suspected of being involved in land burning, with the affected area reaching 213 hectares.
This figure is part of a total of 35 forest and land fire cases handled between January and July 2025, involving 44 suspects and a total of 269 hectares of land burned.
The government views this situation as an escalating emergency requiring firm and integrated action. As of July 20, 2025, a total of 790 hotspots were detected in Riau, with 27 active fire points. In just 24 hours, the burned area jumped from 546 hectares to around 1,000 hectares.
The fire points were closely clustered, indicating a repeated and organized burning pattern. This situation threatens public health, disrupts air quality across regions, and risks damaging Indonesia’s reputation on the global stage regarding its climate change mitigation commitments.
“This situation cannot be seen as a normal occurrence. The surge in fire points and the massive expansion of burned land in such a short period indicates weaknesses in field monitoring systems and a continued lack of compliance with land burning bans,” said Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq in an official statement on Tuesday (July 22, 2025).
The distribution of suspects in the latest cases spans a wide area: Kampar Regency (7 suspects), Rokan Hilir (5), Indragiri Hulu (5), Kuantan Singingi (3), Rokan Hulu (3), and one suspect each from Pelalawan Regency, Indragiri Hilir, Dumai, and Pekanbaru City.
Seized evidence includes hoes, machetes, lighters, burned wood, and fuel jerry cans. Many of the incidents occurred on peatlands, limited production forest areas, and even near Tesso Nilo National Park.
The Environment Minister also expressed appreciation and full support to the Riau Police, especially under the leadership of Inspector General Herry Heryawan, for their swift and firm action in handling the case.
According to him, the successful identification of 29 suspects within a week demonstrates a serious legal response and sends a strong message that land burning will not be tolerated.
The Ministry of Environment, through its Deputy for Environmental Law Enforcement, has followed up on these findings by imposing administrative sanctions on concession-holding companies that failed to prevent land and forest fires.
All companies are required to build canal blocks in peatland areas, provide early fire extinguishing equipment, and actively conduct joint patrols with local communities.
Additionally, the Ministry is collaborating with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) to carry out Weather Modification Operations (WMO) in fire-prone areas.
These operations aim to accelerate the formation of artificial rain, which is expected to reduce fire potential, especially in extremely dry peatland zones.
On another front, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) has deployed one water bombing helicopter and plans to add three more units.
Private companies are also participating—such as the Sinar Mas Group, which has sent a helicopter to Bangko Sempurna, Rokan Hilir, one of the hotspots’ epicenters.
Local governments in 12 regencies have declared a forest and land fire alert status.
However, difficult terrain, dry peatlands, and strong winds have worsened fire spread.
“I want to emphasize that land burning in any form is a serious legal violation that will be dealt with uncompromisingly. Every perpetrator—whether an individual or a corporation—will face criminal and administrative sanctions. We will not allow this annual disaster to continue threatening the environment, economy, and public health,” Minister Hanif firmly stated. (*)
