REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, PEKANBARU -- The canal blocking program will be implemented in six coastal areas of Riau Province to prevent forest fires, according to the Riau Environment Agency.

"Six coastal areas in Riau have been prioritized under the canal blocking program in 2015. The program will be implemented in stages in twelve cities or districts," Chief of the Riau Environment Agency Yulwiriawati Moesa informed Antara here on Monday (31/3).

According to Yulwiriawati, the six areas such as Bengkalis District, Meranti Islands, Indragiri Hilir, Siak, Pelalawan, and Dumai City will be given priority under the program.

The chief has coordinated with the local administrations to follow up on the implementation of the program by giving recommendations on which canals can be isolated along with the geographical coordinates.

"So far, the administrations of Bengkalis District and Meranti Island have reported the location and coordinates of the canals," the chief stated.

The canal blocking program is part of the Riau Fire Mitigation Action Plan, which was initiated in last February.

The program involves several institutions such as the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, Forestry and Environment Ministry, and the Riau Provincial Administration along with the administrations of the cities.

The government has set a target to block one thousand canals in areas prone to forest fires in Riau.

The program aims to channel water to rehabilitate the peatland areas, which have been damaged due to some haphazardly built canals.

The water in peatland areas has dried up due to the perfunctory canals, which is the cause of forest fires during the drought season.

Additionally, Director of the Emergency Division of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency Junjungan Tambunan stated that the institution will fund the program as a disaster mitigation effort to handle forest fires.

"As Riau has declared an emergency status due to the forest fires, the agency is ready to fund the program, which will be drawn from the emergency budget," Junjungan remarked.

Junjungan is of the viewpoint that the canal blocking program is necessary to help extinguish fires in areas with low sources of water.

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