Forestry minister warns against complacency as El Niño peaks in September

Indonesia’s forest and land-fire hotspots declined in late August, but Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni warned that September could bring a tougher test as El Niño reaches its peak.

Raja Juli said the improvement reflected several factors, including firefighting efforts and greater public awareness of the risks of clearing land by burning. He thanked Indonesians for helping bring the numbers down.

Riau recorded zero hotspots for two consecutive days, on Aug. 30 and 31. Central Kalimantan and West Kalimantan also showed declining trends in the latest monitoring. Raja Juli described the progress after a month of efforts to control fires as an improvement.

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September is the peak of El Niño, so that is our next struggle

But he cautioned the government and public against letting their guard down. “September is the peak of El Niño, so that is our next struggle,” he said.

Raja Juli also credited President Prabowo Subianto, whom he described as a firm leader on the fires. He said Prabowo had issued directions, chaired a limited meeting on the response and inspected conditions in parts of Kalimantan and Sumatra.

The minister said central government officials continued to monitor hotspot trends and regularly provided him with reports and evaluations. He pledged to maintain monitoring and firefighting efforts so that the improvement seen at the end of August could continue. The government also urged residents not to burn land, particularly while weather conditions are increasing the risk of fires.

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Alhamdulillah, praise God, the struggle of this past month to control the forest and land fires is improving