Pekanbaru, Riau. President Prabowo Subianto is set to travel to Sumatra to inspect the government’s response to forest and land fires, beginning in Riau, after visiting fire-hit areas in West and Central Kalimantan.

Riau, on the eastern side of Sumatra, lies across the Malacca Strait from Singapore and Malaysia. Fires and resulting haze in the province have previously raised concerns in neighboring countries, particularly when smoke drifts across the strait.

Prabowo’s visit is part of efforts to accelerate a coordinated response to the fires, including firefighting operations and measures to protect communities affected by smoke and deteriorating air quality.

“After directly inspecting forest and land fire response efforts in West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, President Prabowo Subianto will continue his visit to Sumatra, starting with Riau province, to ensure that the response is fast, coordinated and effective,” State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said in a statement Monday.

Prasetyo said the government had strengthened firefighting operations in Kalimantan by deploying additional water-bombing aircraft and helicopters, increasing personnel on the ground and preparing health facilities to respond to the impact of fires and haze.

The government has also begun legal action against parties suspected of being responsible for fires, including companies whose concession areas have burned or who are deemed to have failed to prevent fires on their land.

“The President has also ordered firm action without compromise,” Prasetyo said, adding that law enforcement authorities had begun investigating several corporate concession areas.

The government’s attention will now shift to several fire-prone provinces in Sumatra, particularly Riau, Jambi and South Sumatra.

Data from the Forestry Ministry’s SiPongi fire monitoring system showed 2,894 hotspots across 10 provinces in Sumatra. South Sumatra recorded the highest number with 1,410 hotspots, followed by Riau with 480 and Jambi with 425.

A total of 36,047.64 hectares of land has been burned across the 10 provinces in Sumatra so far this year, according to government data.

The scale of the fires extends beyond Sumatra. Forest and land fires have burned 64,341 hectares across Indonesia, with most of the affected areas concentrated in five provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan, according to National Police data released Sunday.

Around 62% of the total burned area has been extinguished and brought under control, Brig. Gen. Auliansyah Lubis, head of the Operational Development Bureau at National Police Headquarters, said.

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