REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- On field intelligence is required to address land and forest fires (Karhutla), a serious problem faced by Indonesia for years, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated. He instructed that awareness of the efforts to address the problem of land and forest fires should continue to be spread in the community. 

"The problem has occurred repeatedly, year after year, and it can be addressed together routinely with on field intelligence," the president remarked while giving directives to the participants of the National Coordination Meeting on the Management of Karhutla 2018 at the State Palace here on Tuesday.

According to the head of state, on field intelligence holds significance in the management of Karhutla owing to different field conditions. On the occasion, President Jokowi lauded a policeman in Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan, for his creativity to modify his motorcycle into a firefighter.

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"A good example has been set by a policeman in Banjarmasin who took the initiative to modify his motorcycle into a fire extinguisher that can reach hotspots difficult to access by fire trucks," the president explained.

Jokowi believed that on field intelligence can be emulated by both provincial and district governments, so that the military and police personnel can address the Karhutla.

"To prevent Karhutla from becoming a global concern, we have to overcome it in a real way. To this end, I highly laud all parties who work hard to overcome this problem," the president noted.

Karhutla are recurrent phenomenas in Indonesia, and little progress has been achieved in reducing their occurrence. Fires in Indonesia are caused by humans, both individually or collectively.

Hence, President Jokowi has committed to reducing Karhutla during his term of office.

Government's actions have focused on fire suppression as well as solving biophysical and technological issues, such as by canal blocking and an early warning system.

Significant actions to tackle the underlying causes of fires, such as by providing economic incentives for preparing land without resorting to land burning, are rare.

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