Peatland Agency Seeks to Develop Technology to Predict Land Fires Three Days in Advance
The National Peatland and Mangrove Management Agency (BPGMN) plans to develop technology to predict forest and land fires, particularly on peatland, up to three days before they occur.
The technology is intended to help the government detect potential fires earlier, allowing mitigation measures to be taken before flames spread.
BPGMN Deputy Head Sriyanto said fire monitoring needed further development: it should not only establish conditions on the ground, but also identify problems, analyse triggering factors and project the risk of fires.
“If possible, three days in advance. I am sure technology capable of predicting fires across Indonesia three days ahead does not yet exist. But at the very least, we can make use of technology that colleagues have already developed,” Sriyanto said at the State Palace in Central Jakarta on Thursday (15 October).
Sriyanto said the technology would draw on monitoring systems developed by various parties, including regional police. BPGMN has also identified several organisations working on fire-prediction technology.
One indicator that needs to be monitored, he said, is the peat water table. If the water level falls below 40 centimetres, action should be taken promptly to reduce the risk of fire.
This makes detailed mapping of peatland conditions and locations requiring canal blocks necessary throughout Indonesia.
The ability to forecast fire risks is expected to allow the government to mitigate them earlier, including by preparing protective measures and evacuations for communities in high-risk areas.
“If we know that a fire may occur in peatland forests, we can begin mitigation. We must determine what evacuations can and should be carried out to protect the public, where safe points are and how the arrangements will work,” he said.
BPGMN Head Setyawan Pudyatmoko said a fundamental problem in peatland management was the transformation of its natural condition from wet and moist to dry.
One cause is the construction of canals that drain water from peatland areas, including peat domes, which function as water stores.
According to Setyawan, this leaves peatland more vulnerable to drying out during the dry season. The agency therefore plans to map canals and build canal blocks to slow water loss and maintain peat moisture.
“We know that canals are the source of the drying. Peatland has domes. Often canals are built in these domes, which store water, even though they are the water towers. So when the dry season comes, as it has now, the water in the domes has run out,” Setyawan said at the same event.
Alongside improving water management, BPGMN plans to involve local communities in peatland management, including by encouraging cultivation of crops that require little water. These include sago, jelutung and pineapples.
Setyawan said peatland management must take account of the economic sustainability of local communities, so that fire-prevention efforts do not deprive residents of their livelihoods.
He also said scientific modelling was needed to estimate when and where drought would occur and to map fire risks.
To support these efforts, BPGMN will involve expert groups from a range of fields, including peatland, hydrology, revegetation and socio-economics. Similar expert groups are also being prepared for mangrove management; both peatland and mangroves are ecosystems that need to be protected and restored.