RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Indonesian government and Republic of Korea (RoK) are enhancing collaboration in efforts to control forest and land fires. Through the development of the "Forest and Land Fire Management Center" in Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) Regency, South Sumatra Province, the building will soon be equipped with supporting accommodation facilities in the form of the Manggala Agni Dormitory.

The construction of this dormitory is part of the agreed-upon cooperation implementation, encompassing four main pillars: the development of a command and forest fire training center, the enhancement of Manggala Agni's capacity, the provision of supporting infrastructure, and the development of information and communication technology systems for detecting forest and land fires.

Coinciding with Earth Day on 22 April 2026, the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the Manggala Agni Dormitory was held. As quoted by the official website Kehutanan.go.id, Friday, 24 April 2026, the Director of Forest Fire Control, Thomas Nifinluri, stated that BMKG in the Climate Outlook 2026 predicts that Indonesia will experience the El Nino phenomenon earlier, specifically in the second semester of this year.

"Efforts to control forest and land fires cannot be carried out independently, but require strong and sustainable collaboration not only domestically but also between countries," Thomas said.

Thomas said that through the support of the Korea Forest Service, we are building Manggala Agni together as a center of excellence for forest fire control in Indonesia. The development of the "Forest and Land Fire Management Center" is expected to provide tangible benefits for Indonesia, ASEAN, and the international community.

The Counselor of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, Ha Kyung Soo, explained that the construction of this dormitory is part of strengthening supporting facilities in enhancing the capacity of Manggala Agni, particularly within the framework of Korea-Indonesia cooperation in the forestry sector through the project Development of Forest and Land Fire Management System in South Sumatera.

"This facility is expected to support the effectiveness of training, coordination, and operational control of forest and land fires in an integrated and sustainable manner," Ha stated.

The groundbreaking of the Manggala Agni dormitory was attended by representatives from the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the Directorate of Forest Fire Control, the Sumatra Regional Forest Fire Control Center, Manggala Agni Daops XVII OKI, the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) OKI, as well as local officials and KIFC.