Enviro News Asia, Pelalawan – APP Group, through its business units PT Arara Abadi and PT Satria Perkasa Agung (SPA), has strengthened its support for government efforts to prevent forest and land fires (karhutla) through peat water management. The support was demonstrated through field collaboration on fire anticipation and prevention in Pelalawan Regency, Riau Province, which was directly reviewed by Minister of Environment/Head of the Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH) Jumhur Hidayat.
The visit forms part of a joint effort to ensure early fire preparedness through peat rewetting, the construction and reinforcement of canal blocks, groundwater level monitoring, and community involvement at the field level. Pelalawan stands as one of the key landscapes in strengthening collaborative fire prevention practices, in line with APP Group’s commitment to responsible environmental management across its operational areas and supply chain.
“It’s a fact that we have peatland in various regions across the country. If peatland is not continuously inundated while being exposed to sunlight, it has the potential to heat up and catch fire, that’s a fact,” said Minister of Environment/Head of BPLH Jumhur Hidayat.
“I came here to show that this joint movement to keep the water inundated, building canal blocks like the ones we’re constructing here, creating a kind of dam by limiting water discharge so the water can spread out into the surrounding area, is part of efforts to mitigate and reduce the risk of land fire disasters,” he added.
During the visit, the Minister inspected several peat water management points, including Pangkalan Terap village, PT Arara Abadi’s Merawang district work area, Pulau Muda/Parit Sri Mawar village, and Pulau Mendol. At each location, the delegation received briefings on rewetting interventions, the water-sharing concept, canal block construction, groundwater level management, and equipment support for fire prevention and control.
APP Group Director Suhendra Wiriadinata said fire prevention requires an integrated approach, not only firefighting readiness but also stronger water governance, monitoring technology, and collaboration between government, business, and communities.
“Fire prevention must begin long before flames appear. We support the government’s efforts to strengthen peat water governance, canal block construction, land rewetting, and community empowerment. We believe collaboration based on data, technology, and field readiness is key to keeping peat ecosystems wet and reducing fire risk,” Suhendra said.
In Pangkalan Terap village, PT Arara Abadi supported the strengthening of water management infrastructure through canal block construction. A total of 13 canal blocks have been built in the area, comprising five built at the request of KLH/BPLH and eight previously constructed by PT Arara Abadi. Construction was carried out with the support of heavy equipment, including excavators, to strengthen the canal-blocking function in retaining water rather than letting it drain straight downstream.
Meanwhile, in Pulau Muda village, specifically in Parit Sri Mawar, PT Arara Abadi and PT Satria Perkasa Agung supported the construction of six canal blocks as well as 900 meters of ditch-clearing work. This support included financing, technical personnel, supervision, and field operations as part of efforts to maintain peat moisture and strengthen water-based fire prevention.
In Pulau Mendol, PT Arara Abadi also supported canal block construction by providing technical personnel, labor, and operational support. The canal blocks built measure two meters wide, 1.5 meters deep, with three-meter wings, and are equipped with blocking gates to help regulate water flow in the peatland area.
Beyond supporting water infrastructure, APP Group also conducts groundwater level monitoring in PT Arara Abadi’s operational areas as part of the company’s water management system to ensure peat conditions remain protected, including through measurements of water level, water table, and subsidence, supported by a Fire Danger Rating System for fire risk detection and mitigation.
“Peat management requires operational discipline and consistent monitoring. That’s why physical interventions like canal blocks and land rewetting need to go hand in hand with monitoring systems, field team readiness, and community involvement. For us, fire prevention is a shared agenda that must be carried out continuously,” Suhendra added.
APP Group has also strengthened fire prevention through community empowerment programs, including Fire-Aware Prosperous Village (DMPA), which encourages communities to take an active role in fire prevention, raise environmental awareness, and develop alternative economic opportunities based on village potential. The program complements government initiatives such as the Independent Peat-Aware Village (DMPG), helping make fire prevention more effective at the field level.
Through its Integrated Fire Management approach, APP Group treats prevention, preparedness, early detection, and rapid response as a single unified strategy for fire control, in line with its Sustainability Roadmap Vision 2030, which emphasizes environmental protection, responsible natural resource management, and multi-stakeholder collaboration as the foundation of its operations. (*)
