Land Fire Case Decreased, Thanks to Strong Collaboration: Minister Raja Juli Says

National

By Admin INP Kamis, 14 Agustus 2025 Pengunjung (231) 2 Mins Read

inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Minister of Forestry (Menhut), Raja Juli Antoni, revealed that the Ministry has confirmed that the area of forest and land fires (karhutla) has decreased significantly.

This is thanks to the synergy between the use of meteorological technology and the deployment of troops and aircraft for air and ground firefighting.

"We are implementing this in collaboration with the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB)," he said, as reported by RRI on Tuesday (August 12, 2025).

He stated that the area of forest and land fires in 2015 reached around 1.8 million hectares. Then, in 2019, it decreased again to 1 million hectares, and then shrank again to 600,000 hectares in 2023.

"We have learned a lot from the experience of similar previous disasters," he said.

The Minister of Forestry added that implementation through weather modification, water bombing, aerial patrols, and law enforcement has proven effective in reducing the risk of forest and land fires.

He further stated that the extent of forest and land fires throughout this year remains safe and under control. However, the still-variable weather conditions mean the risk of fires remains until the end of September 2025.

"Therefore, we urge the public and all regional governments to remain vigilant," he explained. The Minister of Forestry hopes the situation will become safer as the rainy season begins in October 2025.

According to Ministry of Forestry data, several regions have the potential to contribute to forest and land fire cases in Indonesia. These include Riau, Jambi, West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and East Nusa Tenggara.

The Head of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Dwikorita Karnawati, added that the forest and land fire management strategy is now entirely based on science and technology.

"As soon as El Niño is predicted, we anticipate it with weather modification operations during the rainy season," she said.

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