Anticipating Forest-Land Fires, BNPB Sends Additional Water Bombing Helicopter

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - Riau Province has received assistance in the form of one water bombing helicopter from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) of Indonesia. This assistance is deployed to strengthen the handling of forest and land fires that are spread across various districts and cities in Riau.

The Head of the Fire Department at Regional Disaster Management Agency of Riau Province, M. Edy Afrizal, confirmed that his team has coordinated regarding the arrival schedule of the additional fleet. This step was taken as a quick response to the increasing number of hotspots in several forest and peatland areas.

"The information we received, God willing, the water bombing helicopter assistance from BNPB will arrive today," Edy Afrizal said on Monday, April 6, 2026.

Currently, there are three helicopters on standby in Riau for monitoring and extinguishing operations. Two of them are patrol helicopters provided by Ministry of Environment and Forestry and BNPB, while the other unit is a Super Puma helicopter for water bombing actions.

Edy also explained that this additional fleet is a realization of the proposal submitted by the local government in early March. The request for an increase was made because the intensity of the fires on the ground has begun to exceed the capacity of the available fleet.

"We have requested additional water bombing helicopters considering the numerous fire conditions in the area," he said.

With the addition of the fleet, it is hoped that the extinguishing of forest and land fires can be more effective. This is considering that most of the burned land is located in forest areas that are difficult to access by land routes.

The limited reach and equipment of ground teams often become the main obstacles, especially if the fire occurs in hilly areas.