Five Riau Regions Declare Emergency as Wildfires Escalate

RRI.CO.ID, Pekanbaru - Five regencies and cities in Riau Province have officially declared a state of emergency for forest and land fires. The decision follows a sharp increase in hotspots across the region over the past few days, signaling an early and aggressive start to the fire season.

The emergency status has been activated in the regencies of Pelalawan, Indragiri Hilir (Inhil), Bengkalis, Siak, and Kampar. Head of Emergency and Logistics at the Riau Disaster Mitigation and Fire Rescue Agency (BPBD), Jim Gafur, confirmed the escalation during a briefing in Pekanbaru on Thursday, March 3, 2026.

"Five regions in Riau have now established an emergency alert status for forest and land fires, specifically Pelalawan, Inhil, Bengkalis, Siak, and Kampar," he remarked, urging local administration to immediately ramp up mitigation efforts.

As reported by Antara, the provincial response includes a comprehensive mobilization of resources to prevent a repeat of previous environmental crises. Authorities have been instructed to hold readiness ceremonies involving all relevant stakeholders and to prioritize early detection through intensive patrols and hotspot verification.

Beyond surveillance, the government is focusing on grassroots education, specifically warning residents against using fire for land clearing through coordination with local village heads.

Gafur emphasized that the readiness of the front-line defense is non-negotiable. "All resources, from personnel to equipment and operational budgets, must be alerted for fire prevention and suppression. Additionally, cooperation between stakeholders needs to be increased through intensive coordination and wetting efforts on fire-prone lands," he said.

The scale of the challenge is already evident in the provincial data. Since the beginning of the year, 11 out of Riau's 12 regencies and cities have reported fire incidents, with the total burned area reaching 1,041.74 hectares.

The affected regions include Bengkalis, Kepulauan Meranti, Siak, Kampar, Pelalawan, Indragiri Hulu (Inhu), Indragiri Hilir (Inhil), Kuantan Singingi (Kuansing), Rokan Hilir (Rohil), Dumai, and Pekanbaru. ***

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