Environment Ministry urges companies to help prevent forest and land fires
The Ministry of Environment has asked plantation and mining companies in Kubu Raya Regency and surrounding areas to play an active role in preventing and extinguishing forest and land fires in West Kalimantan.
“The government is encouraging concession holders in West Kalimantan to help strengthen forest and land fire prevention through supervision and management of their areas so that similar incidents do not keep recurring,” said Deputy Environment Minister Diaz Faisal Malik Hendropriyono while inspecting peatland areas affected by forest and land fires in West Kalimantan on Sunday.
Diaz said that tackling forest and land fires cannot be resolved by the government or a single agency alone, but requires collaboration from all parties, including companies operating in fire-prone areas.
“I think we cannot solve this with just one solution or with just one agency. We need help from all of you to work together to prevent this from happening again,” he said.
According to him, the government has taken various regulatory steps, including issuing circulars regarding a moratorium on land clearing that could potentially cause fires.
However, Diaz said the effectiveness of these policies still requires strict supervision on the ground to prevent land clearing that leads to fires.
He also expressed appreciation for companies that have stated their willingness to assist in handling forest and land fires and to support the government’s efforts.
“Please convey to the management and directors of each company my thanks and appreciation for their assistance, or at least their intention to help us. We appreciate that,” he said.
Based on the results of the inspection, he said extinguishing fires on peatland presents its own challenges because the fire can be located far below the ground surface and is difficult to reach.
“Once it is burning, we can see for ourselves how difficult it is to get inside. The fire is below and if the water is already deeper than 40 centimetres, water can no longer penetrate below,” he said.
Therefore, according to him, prevention efforts must be a priority so that fires do not occur and handling is not only carried out once the fire has already spread.
Diaz also asked companies not only to provide assistance when fires occur, but also to contribute to prevention efforts even if the burned area is not within their concession.
“This does not mean I am only asking companies to help me. Not to help me, but to help all of us. Because ultimately the impact is felt by the entire community and Indonesia,” he said.
He stressed that the government will continue to encourage regions to strengthen supervision of land clearing, including ensuring that provisions related to forest and land fire prevention are applied consistently.
“We are working together on how to ensure this does not happen again. I think if we collaborate, we can prevent this problem together,” he said.
He expressed hope that regional governments, companies, law enforcement officials, Manggala Agni and the community can strengthen coordination from the upstream level so that potential fires can be detected and handled as early as possible.