[Jakarta, August 13, 2020] – Forest and land fires (karhutla) have become a recurring disaster every year. They occur not only for short periods, but have persisted for more than three decades. In 2020, the threat of forest and land fires again loomed, this time coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government is already aware of the potential for this disaster. Specifically, the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) sees this dual threat as potentially affecting highly vulnerable populations, such as the elderly and those with underlying or comorbid conditions like hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs).
" Dealing with forest and land fires this year is different from previous years because we are also facing the Covid-19 pandemic ," said BNPB Head Doni Monardo at the Katadata Virtual Forum Series " The Threat of Forest and Land Fires and Covid-19 During the Pandemic " on Thursday (August 13). Therefore, he said, there needs to be a more serious and more optimal effort to communicate this to all levels of society. " No one should allow fires to occur ," he emphasized.
Doni further explained that the BNPB's focus this year will be more on direct community outreach to prevent forest and land fires. " Prevention is the best approach ," he said.
Referring to Presidential Instruction Number 3 of 2020 concerning Forest and Land Fire Management, Doni outlined three preventive measures that will be promoted. First, restoring peatlands to their natural state of wet, watery, and swampy conditions. Second, changing behavior so that communities intervene against those attempting to burn land to clear land. Third, establishing task forces in each region to foster awareness of disaster management.
In line with the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB)'s commitment to strengthening forest and land fire mitigation measures, the Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation has taken the initiative to conduct an analysis mapping Fire-Prone Areas (ART) and Potential Fire Areas (APT). The collected and processed data was then cross-referenced with the Provincial Alert Index (IKP) data from Kawal Covid-19 to map the extent of the forest and land fire and COVID-19 threats in various regions.
" The double whammy of forest and land fires and Covid-19 is clearly before our eyes ," said Muhammad Teguh Surya, Executive Director of the Sustainable Madani Foundation, on the same occasion.
According to Teguh, there needs to be serious cooperation and commitment from all parties, such as the government, private sector, community and environmental activists in preventing the recurrence of forest and land fires, both this year and in the years to come.
Echoing BNPB's sentiments, Teguh also emphasized that forest and land fire management should not only focus on fire prevention and control, but also focus on prevention.
" Efforts are needed to stop the forest and land fire disaster by focusing on peatland restoration efforts and stopping forest destruction ," Teguh added.
Madani's findings identified four provinces with the highest fire potential: Riau, the Riau Islands, East Kalimantan, and North Sumatra. Each province is also represented by at least three regencies/cities with potential fire areas ranging from 169 hectares (Karimun Regency) to 6,152 hectares (Natuna Regency).
Madani also identified provinces with the highest vulnerability to forest and land fires this year, which also have high COVID-19 alert levels. North Sumatra, Central Kalimantan, South Sumatra, and Jambi are found to be at high risk of both forest and land fires and COVID-19. " If not addressed, forest and land fire smoke will exacerbate COVID-19 infections ," Teguh added.
Director of Prevention and Control of Directly Infectious Diseases (P3ML) Wiendra Waworuntu, who also attended the discussion, explained that during forest and land fires, there will be health impacts in the form of acute respiratory infections (ARI).
" The impact is that during periods of forest fires, several journals report an increase in Covid-19 cases in hot weather, which will have an impact on the increase in cases ," said Wiendra.
He explained that forest and land fires increase the chance of viruses lingering in the air longer due to the aerosols created by the smoke. Therefore, a mitigation response in areas affected by forest and land fires is crucial.
Wiendra also feels that in forest and land fire situations, special protocols are needed to prevent the transmission and spread of acute respiratory infections (ARI) and Covid-19.
Also present at the discussion forum was West Kalimantan Governor Sutarmidji, representing a region frequently affected by forest and land fires. In his presentation, Sutarmidji mentioned law enforcement and sanctions against companies whose concessions contain hotspots.
However, on the other hand, community involvement in maintaining and utilizing peatlands is also emphasized as a key factor in supporting forest and land fire prevention efforts.
" Actually, if we want to involve the community in protecting and utilizing peat, we have to start with the concept of village development ," he said, emphasizing that peatlands must be protected. " I agree with Doni Monardo (Head of the National Disaster Management Agency) that peatlands should be planted with economically valuable plants, such as bananas and aloe vera ."
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For further contact regarding Madani's findings, please contact:
Muhammad Teguh Surya, Executive Director of the Madani Berkelanjutan Foundation, HP. 0812 9480 1453
Katadata Contact: Jeany Hartriani, jeany@katadata.co.id, HP. 082154811993
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