Indonesia's forest burn as government does nothing<\/p>\n
Sarono, Indonesian NGOs Network for Forest Conservation, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Forest and land fires are not new to Indonesia. Forest fires
\nhave been recorded since 1978 although major fires known to the
\npublic occurred in 1982 to 1983. The fires in these two years
\ndevastated 3.6 million hectares of forest. In 1994, these fires
\noccurred again, devastating 5.11 million hectares of forest.<\/p>\n
The process of forest and land destruction by fire continues.
\nIn 1997\/1998, fires destroyed 10 million hectares of forest,
\nmaking Indonesia the world's biggest carbon dioxide producer.
\nUnfortunately we have yet to learn from the fires which sweep
\nthrough Indonesia every year. Still, a suitable solution to the
\nproblem has not been found.<\/p>\n
This year, the burning raged from mid February to April in
\nSumatra, namely in Riau, Jambi, North Sumatra, Aceh and other
\nregions. These fires devoured plantation lands owned by
\ncompanies, community-managed land plots and protected forest
\nareas. In Bukitbatu district, Bengkalis, Riau, for example, at
\nleast 10,906 hectares of land in an animal reserve forest was
\nreduced to ash. Land clearing by burning conducted by locals led
\nto the burning of 30 hectares of coconut palms owned by residents
\nof Cempaka hamlets, Kadaburapat, Bengkalis.<\/p>\n
The fires became more extensive because of the customary
\npractice in which people clear land for agricultural purposes by
\nburning bushes and what is left of felled trees.<\/p>\n
In West Kalimantan, the governor, H. Djawari said fires in the
\ndecade ending 2000 had destroyed 37,971 hectares of forest and
\nincurred losses of Rp 73 billion. In 1997, 17,800 hectares of
\nforest was burned with losses estimated at Rp 55 billion. In
\nRiau, following these fires, dozens of people suffering breathing
\ndifficulties had to be hospitalized.<\/p>\n
At Caltex Hospital of SBU Dumai and Duri, dozens of children
\nand older people suffered breathing difficulties and upper
\nrespiratory tract infection because of the haze. In Medan in
\nMarch, some 400,000 people or 20 percent of a total of 2 million
\npeople in Medan suffered from upper respiratory tract infection.<\/p>\n
The burning may continue till the end of September 2002 given
\nthe drought which has hit many areas of Java, Sumatra and
\nKalimantan.<\/p>\n
Yet this practice in July contributed to the smoke from forest
\nfires and burning which disturbed the surroundings. In Pontianak,
\n241 locals contracted upper respiratory tract infections in one
\nweek alone in early July. The haze also disrupted flights.<\/p>\n
By Aug. 13, there were 285 hotspots in a number of regencies
\nin West Kalimantan. Then there were reports of 65 hotspots in
\nareas formerly used as timber estates, 125 hotspots in areas
\noutside timber estates, forest-concession areas and large-scale
\nestates and 93 hotspots in plantation areas. The latest data
\nshows that West Kalimantan now has 1,048 hotspots.<\/p>\n
In East Kalimantan, nearly the entire region is covered by
\nsmoke resulting from land clearing. Up till August 12, monitors
\nrecorded 427 hotspots but the next day that number had risen to
\n612. Central Kalimantan was last reported to have 1,428 hotspots.<\/p>\n
Weak law enforcement is evident in the country's saga of
\nburning. In forest fires in 1995\/1996, for example, the forestry
\nministry issued a list of companies allegedly behind the
\noccurrence of the haze. The list had 176 companies -- estates and
\ntimber estates -- but none has been penalized for their actions.<\/p>\n
In the 1999 and 2000 fires, at least 50 companies allegedly
\nused fire to clear land. Again, none were taken to court. The
\npolice blamed a lack of evidence for failure to charge a single
\nperson.<\/p>\n
The laws go unheeded, specifically Law No. 23\/1997 on
\nenvironmental management. There is also the Government Regulation
\nNo. 4\/2001 on control over damage and or pollution to the
\nenvironment in connection with forest and or land fires.<\/p>\n
But when a forest fire occurs, the government only calls upon
\nthe community to wear masks and does nothing else to seriously
\nsolve this problem.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, in the context of saving forests from damage as a
\nresult of human greed, Deputy of the State Ministry of the
\nEnvironment, Liana Bratasida, once said that there were five
\nsteps that everybody needed to pay attention to.<\/p>\n
First, each province and regency must determine areas
\nprioritized for forest fire prevention and management on the
\nbasis of the dry season forecast, the land clearance or
\npreparation plan and the history of forest fires. This is in
\nkeeping with Government Regulation NO. 4\/2001.<\/p>\n
Second, to ensure that all parties will participate in
\npreparing themselves, the community must be informed about
\ndrought, hotspots and air quality through various mass media or
\ncommunity forums.<\/p>\n
Third, companies concerned will guarantee that they will stick
\nto the policy of no burning for land preparation (PLTB). To this
\nend, the policy of collecting a cash bond amounting to at least
\nthe cost of PLTB plus the cost to arise for fire extinguishing
\nmust be adopted. This bond will be given when an preparation
\nannual plan is submitted.<\/p>\n
Fourth, a guarantee for the community's exploitation right,
\nwhich leads to a sense of belonging towards the forest.<\/p>\n
Fifth, legal enforcement. Action must be taken against the
\nperpetrators of arson, be they land owners, estate owners, timber
\nestate owners or business people.<\/p>\n
To this end, it is necessary to take the following measures:
\n(1) civilian investigators on environment and on forestry must be
\nempowered so that they can prepare dossiers of investigation to
\nensure quick dispatch to the court; (2) the application of
\ncorporate penalties in land and forest fire cases must be
\npopularized; (c) public opinion about cases being heard at the
\ncourt must be shaped and (d) administrative sanctions must be
\nimposed in the form of suspension of some of their activities if
\ncertain companies violate the prevailing laws or license
\nrevocation.<\/p>\n
Through these steps, the guarantee for our safety and health
\nwill become a reality and we will not be carried away by our own
\nsorrow because of our powerlessness to overcome problems of
\nforest burning.<\/p>",
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