Government Deploys Manggala Agni to Secure Sumatra Mudik Routes from Forest Fires

RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta - The Ministry of Forestry continues to strengthen forest and land fire (karhutla) control efforts by alerting ground and air resource support in Riau Province. This step is an anticipation of a potential escalation in fire incidents ahead of the 1447 H Eid al-Fitr holiday. Currently, the Ministry has deployed three Manggala Agni teams to contain fires in Rantau Bais, Rokan Hilir, Riau.

The Director of Forest Fire Control, Thomas Nifinluri, stated that the Ministry has dispatched three Manggala Agni teams from Siak, South Labuhanbatu, and Dumai to handle the forest fires in Rantau Bais. Conditions are reportedly improving, with the Riau - North Sumatra highway monitored as safe and free from smoke disruption.

In addition to securing the Riau-North Sumatra mudik (exodus) route, several Manggala Agni teams have also been deployed to tackle fires in Kampar, Bengkalis, Dumai, and Pelalawan. These efforts include bringing in additional personnel from the Manggala Agni Sumatra XI/Bukit Tempurung-Jambi Regional Operations (Daops) to support the Manggala Agni Sumatra VII/Rengat Regional Operations.

Thomas noted that based on observations from the SiPongi website via the NASA-Terra/Aqua satellites, 49 high-confidence hotspots were detected in the Riau region up to March 15, 2026. These are spread across Pelalawan (42), Indragiri Hilir (2), Dumai (4), and Kampar (1).

"In addition to fire suppression, we are strengthening aerial patrols by deploying Bell helicopters to the Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base to enhance early detection and accelerate the response to forest fires in Riau," Thomas stated monday, March 16, 2026.

Thomas added that the aerial patrol operation is planned to run until the end of April, with a total operating time of approximately 65 flight hours. During the operation, the Aerial Task Force will be stationed at the Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base in Pekanbaru as the coordination center for aerial patrols in the Riau region.

"We express our gratitude to the Commander of Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base and his staff for their extraordinary support in the aerial fire control patrols. Joint teams from the Ministry of Forestry, the Indonesian Air Force (TNI AU), and the local government will conduct scheduled patrols to strengthen monitoring and early detection in high-risk areas," he said.