Riau struggles to tackle forest fires amid budget cuts
The air temperature in Riau is currently very hot with very little rain, increasing the risk of forest and land fires.
Riau faces significant challenges in controlling forest and land fires due to severe budget cuts. The province is experiencing extreme drought conditions exacerbated by El Nino, coupled with the peak dry season forecasted between August and September. These weather conditions have significantly heightened the risk of forest and land fires.
Edy Afrizal, head of the Riau Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), emphasized the urgency of addressing this issue, as very high air temperatures and minimal rainfall are conducive to fire outbreaks. Hot spots have been detected in plantation company concessions and farmlands across Riau. Afrizal reported that joint teams are actively working to extinguish fires in six locations, including two in Bengkalis regency and one each in Indragiri Hilir, Indragiri Hulu, Pelalawan, and Rokan Hilir.
In addition to ground and aerial efforts, water bombing using helicopters is being employed to combat the fires. However, Afrizal also mentioned that firefighters are addressing the issue of two extinguished fires in Kampar and Siak, as smoke continues to rise, indicating potential reignition.
The BPBD has recorded 15,608 hectares of forest and land fires across Riau's 12 cities and regencies. Bengkalis has been the most affected, with 8,273 hectares burned, followed by Pelalawan at 4,629 hectares.
Written by urgent.news from The Jakarta Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
