Rainy season hasn’t come out yet, forest fires lately become a scourge for the people of Indonesia on the island of Borneo and Sumatera. The smoke produced by the forest fires is quite disturbing, ranging from interfering teaching and learning activities, workers whose work interrupted, and citizens affected upper respiratory tract infection (URI). Many activists held some protests both physically and through social media, they are demanding the holders of authority (local and central government) to resolve this issue.
Although some forest fires can be classified as a natural phenomenon, as often happens in Australia and the United States (US) [1], those forest fires in Indonesia are done intentionally. From the information on the info-graphic below can be seen that the forest fires occur in the licensed area, especially areas with Forestry License (Izin Kehutanan). Companies whose business are in plantation sector seem to give a big influence on those forest fires. In preparing the new planting season they do the easiest and cheapest way to clear land, by burning. Land clearance by burning 10 times cheaper than mechanical clearings [2]. Moreover, the current weather (dry season) favored the spread of fire. Interestingly forest fires are already happening repeatedly before, it seems that we are not yet learn from the past forest fires.
Statistical infographics of forest fires indication on licensed area in Borneo and Sumatera
From the info-graphic also can be seen that forest fires in the licensed area in the province of South Sumatera and Riau are the most severe. In Riau Province, because of its geographical position which is adjacent to Malaysia and Singapore made smoke from forest fires spreads to neighboring countries.
President of Indonesia, Mr. Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is a graduate from the Faculty of Forestry, he should have been aware of the forest fire issues, let alone he has worked at one of the plantation companies.
However, lately it seems that the government has begun to ‘fierce’. When blusukan (or monitoring, see note [A] below) fires directly in South Sumatra (September 6th) [3] and Riau (September 24th) [4], Mr. Joko Widodo escorted by the Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces General Gatot Nurmantyo, the Chief of the Indonesian National Police General Badrodin Haiti, Chief of the Presidential Staff Teten Masduki, Chief of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Willem Rampangilei, Minister of Public Works and Housing of People (PUPR) Hadimulyono Basuki, Minister of Health Nila Moeloek, Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya, South Sumatera Governor Alex Noerdin, and Regent of Ogan Komering Ilir Iskandar. Those Officials are more than enough to scare companies behind the illegal forest fires. Preliminary results are quite promising, police officers managed to arrest seven company executives suspected for illegal forest fires [5].
We hope that the persistence is not only on them, but also to the entire party from high level officers to the on-field implementer (and indeed the public). And the more important thing is the way of the government handle those forest fires should be done in a sustainable manner, those forest fires should not be recur in subsequent years. If not, in long term the quality of life of the people in the area surrounding forest fires will decrease significantly. Perhaps the government should make a fine scheme or a detention scheme for the production license from plantation companies that perform the illegal forest fires. We need not worry the investors will flee from plantation companies, however, our investment in public health is more important.
It seems that the hot weather and the smoke from forest fires can make someone irascible.
Note:
[A] Blusukan is an act of monitoring something (implemented policy or on-field condition) directly, it is quite popular when the President did it so often, and many Indonesian referred him as a down-to-earth leader. Blusukan is from Javanese Language which means ‘moving to/in narrow place’, it’s not a literal meaning, but I’m a Javanese and… somewhat I can assure that meaning.
[B] This post is an English version of my another post “Pembakaran Lahan Ilegal, Bencana yang Disengaja”
jalakiren 