inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. House Speaker Puan Maharani asked the government to prioritize protecting communities affected by forest and land fires in various regions and to address them immediately.

Puan stated that the surge in forest and land fire hotspots must be treated as a situation requiring rapid intervention. The worsening fire situation, particularly in Kalimantan, must be addressed immediately.

"Protection for the community must be as important as intervention to extinguish forest and land fires. The government must continuously monitor air quality in every affected area," Puan said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday (8/21/2026).

The government is urged to expedite mapping of the impact of forest and land fires on the community. If the air pollution index exceeds the pollution threshold, a state of emergency should be declared, requiring people to halt outdoor activities.

"Shelters also need to be prepared if necessary and if the condition of the community in the affected area is in a dangerous category," Puan said.

Regarding health, governments in affected areas are asked to provide additional health services for children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with respiratory diseases.

"The government is obliged to stock up on masks for the victims and prepare scenarios for adjusting schools and outdoor activities if the air quality index continues to deteriorate," Puan added.

According to her, the government needs to immediately establish priority operational zones for forest and land fires based on a combination of recurring hotspots, peat conditions, dryness, wind direction, proximity to settlements, and regional firefighting capacity.

"Regencies with the highest risk must receive additional personnel, pumps, tankers, water sources, and air support for firefighting," she said.

She also encouraged the central government to provide assistance to overwhelmed regions. Local governments that are slow to respond and lack adequate capacity should be taken over by the central government.

She believes that ground operations must be strengthened to prevent fires from reigniting after the surface appears to be extinguished, while aerial firefighting should be focused on hard-to-reach areas. Therefore, firefighting infrastructure is crucial.

"Field personnel must be provided with adequate equipment and personal protective equipment such as fire-resistant clothing, special helmets, protective goggles, respirator masks, heat-resistant gloves, and field boots," she said.

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