Indonesia empowers communities to prevent forest fires
The traumatic experiences due to forest fires and the consequent haze disaster are still fresh in the minds of Sumatrans, yet new hotspots indicating fires have reportedly reemerged in several provinces on Sumatra Island.
On March 7, the Riau provincial government declared an emergency alert status, indicating the need to expedite the efforts to prevent and handle forest and land fires following the discovery of the hotspots.
To anticipate and prevent forest fires, the government is empowering the rural communities, by improving their organizational capability, increasing their awareness of disaster risks, and strengthening their ability to prevent forest fires.
Besides, the World Bank has provided a grant amounting to some US$12 million this year to help prevent forest fires.