Pekanbaru, Riau (Antarariau.com) - The Riau provincial administration held a meeting to discuss whether an emergency response status should be declared following the recent emergence of several hotspots caused by forest and plantation fires.

"The emergency response status will enable optimal efforts to prevent and extinguish forest and plantation fires in Riau," Head of the Riau Disaster Mitigation Office Edwar Sanger stated here, Tuesday.

The meeting was chaired by Riau Governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman and attended by Riau Police Chief Inspector General Zulkarnain and other officials.

Rokan Hulu and Dumai City have declared an emergency alert status following the detection of several hotspots early this year.

Besides this, the meteorology office (BMKG) has forecast that the dry season will start in February in Riau.

The BMKG reported that hotspots had been detected in the districts of Rokan Hilir, Siak, Pelalawan, Kuantan Singingi, Indragiri Hulu, and Pekanbaru over the last two weeks.

With the support of military and police personnel, the Riau authorities have intensified integrated patrols to prevent and extinguish wildfires.  

Meanwhile, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has called on regional government heads to not hesitate in declaring a forest fire emergency alert status.

"I want that the emergency alert status for forest and land fires be declared as early as possible. It should not happen that the emergency status is issued after it has created problems," President Jokowi noted at the State Palace in Jakarta, on Monday.

According to the president, the request for immediate declaration of the emergency alert status has particularly been conveyed to the governors of provinces, which are prone to forest fires.

"Issue the emergency status as soon as the hotspot is detected," he emphasized.

The president made the statement at a national-level coordination meeting on forest and plantation fire control in 2017.

"Early detection measures should be reinforced, particularly in the provinces of Riau, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and Papua. All elements must conduct active, on-field checks and should not only monitor it from their workplaces," the president affirmed.

Jokowi also reiterated the need to impose a reward and punishment system for the prevention of forest and land fires.