Kerosene hike burns up Mount Ciremai forest

Kerosene hike burns up Mount Ciremai forest

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Kuningan

The increase in the price of kerosene has forced local people
living on the slopes of Mount Ciremai to turn to firewood for
cooking, thus further endangering the environment, a non-
governmental organization (NGO) activist warned on Saturday.

"The government has to seek alternatives to prevent this from
continuing further. Otherwise, deforestation will increase on the
slopes of Mount Ciremai," said Avo Suhartono, the chairman of the
Mount Ciremai Conservation Working Group.

Local people acknowledged that they had turned to firewood
after the price of kerosene skyrocketed to Rp 3,100 per liter
following the fuel price increases on Oct. 1. This compares to Rp
1,100 per liter prior to the increases.

"The fuel price hike is unbearable, and has put kerosene out
of the reach of local people here," said Sarkum, a resident of
Seda subdistrict, Kuningan regency.

Avo said the trend was not only increasing deforestation but
also endangering freshwater springs that served as water sources
for people in Kuningan and Cirebon regencies.

There are 24 villages located on the slopes of Mount Ciremai
and they come under the administration of the Cirebon and
Kuningan regental governments. The forest covering the slopes of
the mountain extends to some 15,518 hectares.

Kuningan Regent Aang Hamid Suganda said his administration
would investigate the matter. The local government had set the
price of kerosene at Rp 2,450 per liter and anybody selling
kerosene at higher prices would be dealt with sternly, he said.