Enviro News Asia, Jakarta – The Minister of Environment of the Republic of Indonesia, Hanif Faisol Nurrofiq, personally led the Standby Roll Call and the deployment of ground firefighting teams assigned to extinguish forest and land fires in Rokan Hilir and Rokan Hulu Regencies, Riau Province.
The first deployment includes 200 personnel, with the possibility of additional reinforcements based on field needs and conditions.
The event was attended by the Governor of Riau along with local government officials, representatives from the Ministry of Environment, and strategic private sector partners in forest and land fire control, such as APP (Sinar Mas), PT RAPP, PT Musim Mas, PT Perkebunan Nusantara IV Regional 3, and PT Pertamina Hulu Rokan.
“We can’t afford to wait any longer. Prevention must be our top priority. Once the fire emerges, ground suppression becomes the most effective frontline defense—especially on peatlands, which require specialized technical approaches,” stated Minister Hanif in his official remarks, Thursday (24/07/2025).
In his address, Minister Hanif emphasized that the roll call is not merely symbolic, but a concrete representation of the government’s commitment to tackling the recent spike in forest and land fires, which have shown a significant increase at the end of July.
According to the latest data as of July 23, 2025, active fire hotspots are still detected in several peatland and mineral soil areas in Rokan Hilir and Rokan Hulu Regencies, with the potential for smoke to spread further if not addressed swiftly.
Efforts to control forest and land fires are a critical component of Indonesia’s national strategy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, in line with the Enhanced Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) document.
Indonesia aims to cut emissions by 31.89% independently and up to 43.2% with international support by 2030, and achieve Net Zero Emissions by 2060 or sooner. Forest and land fire control plays a key role in reaching these targets.
Minister Hanif also instructed the strengthening of prevention and early detection systems across all fire-prone areas.
This includes increased field patrols, hotspot monitoring, enhanced personnel capacity, equipment and infrastructure improvements, as well as synergy among the government, the military and police, local communities, and the private sector.
Early warning signals from the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) forecast a significant rise in hotspots in Riau from July 23–27, 2025, with the potential to continue into early August.
The deployment of the firefighting team is part of the Ministry of Environment’s cross-sector collaborative strategy.
“I emphasize, this will not be the last deployment. More teams will be sent. We must remain on the ground until the last flame is extinguished. Every team member carries one shared determination—not to return until the fire is out. Riau must be smoke-free,” Minister Hanif firmly stated. (*)
