Environment Minister Warns Companies: No Fires Allowed in Concession Areas
Minister of Environment and Head of the Environmental Control Agency, Jumhur Hidayat, has stressed that companies must bear full responsibility for ensuring no fires occur within their concession areas through consistent prevention and mitigation measures. “We must ensure that there are no fires in concession areas. There must be no hotspots that potentially develop into fires, and mitigation must be carried out,” Jumhur stated.
To strengthen preparedness for controlling forest and land fires (karhutla), the Ministry of Environment is involving approximately 400 companies holding forestry and oil palm plantation concessions, as well as those in industrial areas. One of the main strategies emphasised is improving peatland water management through the construction and maintenance of canal blocks to maintain the groundwater level. The rewetting approach is considered a crucial step to keep peat ecosystems moist, less flammable, and more resilient to extreme weather conditions, forming part of a broader strategy to protect peat ecosystems as a primary defence against fires.
To date, across a peatland area of approximately 4.15 million hectares managed by 314 companies, 34,897 canal blocks have been built. In community areas, forest zones, and buffer regions, 8,857 canal blocks have been constructed, with an additional 17,394 units needed to comprehensively strengthen the hydrological function of the peatlands. “Companies are also asked to share responsibility with the community and local governments to rewet peatlands around their concession areas. Prevention does not stop at administrative concession boundaries but must be carried out together within a single ecosystem landscape,” Jumhur added.
Meanwhile, hotspots and land fires in South Kalimantan Province continue to increase. Data from the South Kalimantan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) indicated that hotspots and fires have occurred in several areas, including Banjar Regency, Tanah Laut Regency, and Banjarbaru City. South Kalimantan Province has been placed under an emergency alert status for forest and land fires, along with three regencies: Tapin, Barito Kuala, and Tanah Bumbu.