Jakarta, August 24, 2026 – The Europe Today: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has instructed authorities to drill water wells at forest and land fire hotspots in Riau Province as an immediate preventive measure to stop them from developing into active fires and spreading further.
Speaking at a meeting on forest and land fire mitigation in Pekanbaru on Monday, President Prabowo called on authorities to act before detected hotspots turned into fires.
“Don’t wait until they become fire spots. Please go to those hotspots and take early action. Can water wells be drilled in those areas?” he said.
Prabowo said the 306 hotspots detected across Riau should be addressed immediately by drilling water wells at the affected locations.
“I think we should immediately drill water wells at all 300 points. As soon as there is a hotspot, drill a water well there. Don’t wait until it becomes a fire,” he stressed.
The president also directed authorities to implement other preventive measures, including blocking canals and establishing water reservoirs. He further urged the continuation of weather modification operations and called for water-bombing helicopters to remain on standby for rapid response.
“As soon as there is a hotspot, take preventive action. Canal blocks, reservoirs, water wells. Weather modification operations should continue to be pursued. Water-bombing helicopters should be on standby,” Prabowo said.
According to the Riau Regional Agency for Disaster Countermeasures (BPBD), 306 hotspots had been detected across the province as of August 23. Seven of these hotspots had developed into active fires in four districts.
The agency reported that forest and land fires had affected 16,277.50 hectares in Riau between January and August, with approximately 900 hectares still burning at seven locations.
President Prabowo ordered authorities to extinguish the remaining fires without delay and directed the military and police to deploy personnel to assist in firefighting and prevention operations.
The measures are aimed at strengthening early intervention and preventing localized hotspots from developing into larger forest and land fires across Riau.
