Anticipating El Niño, Patrols on the Indonesia-Malaysia Border Increase

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian government, through the Ministry of Forestry, through the Directorate of Forest Fire Control and the Directorate General of Law Enforcement, held a Coordination Meeting on Border Security against the threat of Forest and Land Fires at the Entikong Cross-Border Post (PLBN), Sanggau, West Kalimantan. This step was taken as a preparedness measure for the El Niño phenomenon, which is predicted to increase the risk of forest and land fires this year.

In a press release received by RRI VOI from the Ministry of Forestry on Thursday, April 16, 2026, this activity aims to strengthen cross-sector synergy in border areas to ensure early detection and rapid response to hotspots. In addition to protecting the environment and public health, this preventative measure is crucial to prevent transboundary haze, which can disrupt relations between countries.

The Head of the Kalimantan Regional Forest Fire Control Agency, Yudho Shekti Mustiko, emphasized that inter-agency collaboration is the main foundation for maintaining stability in border areas.

"Synergy in integrated patrols is a crucial step to ensure early detection, rapid response in the field, and prevent cross-border haze. Through integrated patrols and cross-sector thematic outreach, it is hoped that personnel preparedness and operational support will be optimized," Yudho stated in his remarks in Entikong.

This coordination meeting involved various stakeholders, ranging from regional elements such as the Entikong Sub-district Head, the Sector Police, and the Military District Command (Koramil), to vertical agencies such as the PLBN (National Border Post), Immigration, the Border Security Task Force, the West Sanggau Forest Management Unit (KPH), the West Kalimantan Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA), and the Sintang Manggala Agni Operations Area (Daops).

In addition to technical coordination, the Ministry of Forestry is also promoting cross-sector thematic outreach. This program is expected to increase the capacity of officers and encourage active community participation in border areas in sustainable forest and land fire prevention.

By strengthening its commitment at national border points, the government is striving to ensure the region remains safe from the threat of fires even under the shadow of El Niño, while also preserving the environment in Indonesia's frontier regions.