HARIAN EXPRESS, KAMPAR – Minister of Environment Jumhur Hidayat inspected forest and land fires in Kampar, Riau, on Saturday (Aug 22, 2026), before heading to Kalimantan for further mitigation.
During the field inspection, the minister brought along Bambang Hero Saharjo, a professor from the Bogor Agricultural Institute (Institut Pertanian Bogor or IPB) and a renowned expert in forest and land fires.
The Riau Regional Police Chief (Kepala Kepolisian Daerah Riau), Inspector General Herry Heryawan, also joined the entourage. The group directly assessed the affected areas to observe the land conditions, understand the fire characteristics, and evaluate the effectiveness of on-the-ground mitigation efforts.
Minister Jumhur Hidayat deliberately involved academic experts to analyze the fire incidents using a rigorous scientific approach. He considers field inspections crucial for determining fire behavior, calculating the ecological damage, and identifying the primary factors causing the blazes.
The scientific evaluation helps authorities understand how dry weather conditions and illegal land-clearing practices exacerbate the disaster. By understanding these elements, the government can formulate a more effective strategy to combat the recurring environmental crisis.
Furthermore, the minister emphasized that the government completely rejects any half-hearted measures in dealing with environmental crimes. He ordered his staff to focus not only on extinguishing the active hotspots but also on finding the root causes.
He demands strict law enforcement against perpetrators and insists on comprehensive recovery programs for the damaged ecosystems. Ensuring that corporations or individuals responsible for the fires face severe penalties serves as a crucial deterrent.
“We must handle forest and land fires from upstream to downstream. Prevention, extinguishing, law enforcement, and environmental recovery must run together. Therefore, we look directly at the conditions in the field so that every step taken is based on data and facts,” he said.
Amid the field inspection, the Riau Regional Police Chief presented the Dashboard Green Policing innovation to the ministerial group.
The Riau Regional Police (Polda Riau) developed this integrated system to ensure every environmental protection program in the province runs measurably and receives real-time monitoring. This technological approach helps law enforcement officers track environmental progress and ecological threats efficiently.
Based on the system’s updated data as of August 22, 2026, the Riau Regional Police recorded 226,301 trees planted across the region. These trees can absorb carbon emissions up to 4,978.6 tons of CO₂ per year.
Additionally, the monitoring application successfully mapped 7,349 green spots and integrated 110 Precision Bridge programs to support local communities and promote environmental sustainability.
After completing the mitigation assessment and disaster management evaluation in Riau, Minister Jumhur Hidayat will lead the entourage to Kalimantan island on Sunday (Aug 23, 2026).
This emergency response step aims to directly oversee the fire extinguishing efforts and prevent the spread of toxic smog caused by forest and land fires that have begun expanding in that territory. The government hopes these swift actions will protect public health and preserve the remaining pristine forests.
