Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia is reviewing and improving its regulations on forest fire prevention and control while strengthening response capacity in localities to minimise the risk of forest and land fires, as this year's dry season is forecast to arrive early and last longer than usual.
Indonesian Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Antoni said the country's strategy is shifting from responding to fires after they break out to establishing a long-term prevention mechanism.
Under the approach, competent agencies will review existing regulations, strengthen inspections of fire prevention and firefighting systems, and implement measures including weather modification through cloud seeding, monitoring water levels in peatland areas, and pre-positioning personnel and equipment in high-risk locations.
Indonesia has for years imposed strict sanctions on companies and plantation owners that allow forest and land fires to occur in areas under their management. Under current regulations, violators may face administrative penalties, suspension or revocation of licences, compensation claims for environmental damage, and even criminal prosecution in serious cases.
According to the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), this year's dry season has begun earlier in many regions, particularly on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan and in parts of Sulawesi, increasing the risk of forest and peatland fires.
In recent weeks, hotspots have been detected in Central Kalimantan, South Sumatra, Riau and Jambi provinces, prompting competent forces to step up patrols and firefighting measures.
Forest and peatland fires have long posed a major environmental challenge for Indonesia. Smoke from the fires affects public health and causes significant economic losses. Severe haze episodes in 2015 and 2019 also had a major impact on neighbouring countries, such as Malaysia and Singapore.
Therefore, the Indonesian government considers coordinated prevention measures crucial to reducing the risk of a recurrence of transboundary haze pollution./.
