Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (BMKG) and the Ministry of Forestry of Indonesia have reinforced their strategic collaboration to enhance forest and land fire (karhutla) mitigation efforts across Indonesia. The commitment was highlighted during an official meeting between BMKG Head Teuku Faisal Fathani and Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni at BMKG Headquarters in Jakarta.
The meeting emphasized the integration of scientific approaches into fire prevention strategies, including improved data sharing, enhanced climate prediction accuracy, and deployment of meteorological instruments in forest areas. BMKG reaffirmed that its role extends beyond weather and climate monitoring to include active interventions such as Weather Modification Operations.
According to Teuku Faisal Fathani, these operations play a crucial role in mitigating fire risks, particularly through peatland rewetting in vulnerable regions. He also noted ongoing efforts to develop advanced weather modification technologies to improve operational efficiency.
Both institutions discussed expanding cooperation in early warning systems and real-time monitoring to enable faster and more precise responses to emerging fire threats. BMKG also reported significant results from recent Weather Modification Operations conducted in fire-prone regions such as Riau and West Kalimantan, where increased rainfall has helped reduce hotspot occurrences.
Minister Raja Juli Antoni underscored the importance of accurate climate data in supporting policy decisions and field-level mitigation. He highlighted that stronger coordination between central and regional governments is essential to ensure effective implementation of fire prevention measures.
The collaboration was formalized through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, establishing a framework for long-term cooperation in data integration, early warning systems, and science-based mitigation strategies.
This strengthened partnership is expected to improve national preparedness against forest fires and drought, while safeguarding environmental sustainability and public safety. (*)
