Enviro News Asia, Rokan Hilir — Minister of Environment and Forestry (KLH), Hanif Faisol Nurrofiq, personally visited the areas affected by forest and land fires in Rokan Hilir Regency, Riau Province, to ensure that the mitigation efforts are swift, coordinated, and comprehensive.
“We highly appreciate the efforts already undertaken by the local government and all its personnel. However, the intensity of firefighting needs to be increased so that the forest and land fires in Rokan Hilir can be resolved as quickly as possible,” said Minister Hanif in his official statement on Wednesday (23/07/2025).
The inspection was conducted following a surge in hotspots in Rokan Hilir, which reached 354 with 9 active firespots as of July 20, 2025—making it the region with the highest incidence of forest and land fires in Riau Province.
Aerial observations revealed that the fires are burning in highly dry peatland areas with limited access to water sources.
Fire hotspots were also identified in production forests and limited production forests, both of which are highly vulnerable to rapid fire spread.
In response, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has strengthened coordination with various stakeholders, including the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB), the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the National Police (Polri), and local governments, to enhance the speed and effectiveness of the emergency response.
As part of the emergency measures, five BNPB water bombing helicopters have been deployed.
As of mid-July 2025, a total of 594 water bombing sorties have been carried out, dropping approximately 2,376,000 liters of water.
In addition, the Weather Modification Operation (WMO) was reactivated on July 21, 2025, targeting the Rokan Hilir region and surrounding areas, using 1,000 kilograms of NaCl seeding materials to stimulate rainfall.
Local governments have also been urged to accelerate fire suppression efforts with active participation at the grassroots level.
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry will continue to closely monitor the situation, provide regular updates to President Prabowo Subianto, and ensure consistent and sustainable cross-sectoral synergy.
“We will continue to coordinate with all parties to put an end to the threat of haze in Rokan Hilir. This disaster must stop,” Minister Hanif added.
The Ministry of Environment and Forestry emphasized the importance of active involvement from all stakeholders in preventing and mitigating forest and land fires as part of a strategic agenda to build national climate resilience.
This effort must not be merely reactive—it must become a priority in achieving fair, sustainable, and climate-responsive environmental governance. (*)
