DPR proposes using schools as shelters from wildfire smoke

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Charles Honoris, deputy chair of Commission IX of the House of Representatives (DPR), has proposed that the government use schools and government offices as clean-air shelters for people affected by smoke from forest and land fires.

In a statement received in Jakarta on Friday, Charles said the public facilities could be equipped with high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters to reduce exposure to hazardous smoke.

“We cannot simply treat people who have fallen ill while they continue to be exposed to dangerous smoke. I urge the central and regional governments to quickly provide more clean-air shelters,” he said.

Clean-air shelters are temporary refuges designed to reduce exposure to air pollutants, including fine particles from forest and land-fire smoke.

Charles said smoke can enter homes through gaps around doors and windows and through ventilation systems, putting people at continued risk even when they are indoors.

He said the facilities were particularly needed by vulnerable groups, including young children, pregnant women, older people and those with respiratory illnesses.

Charles called on central and regional governments to make use of existing public buildings rather than construct new ones.

“In several countries that have faced major forest fires, public facilities have been used as clean-air shelters for communities affected by haze. This shows that health protection does not have to wait until the fires are extinguished,” he said.

Charles also stressed the importance of monitoring air quality and maintaining the filters to ensure the shelters function effectively for affected communities.

The six provinces prioritised for forest and land-fire response are Central Kalimantan, South Sumatra, South Kalimantan, Jambi, West Kalimantan and Riau.

Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra are the main focus. In Central Kalimantan, fires covering 513.89 hectares have been reported in Tanjung Puting National Park.

Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said the government had deployed 60,177 joint personnel to support ground-based firefighting operations.

In addition to ground operations, the government is conducting aerial firefighting using water-bombing helicopters and stepping up weather-modification operations.