The environment and forestry ministry’s (KLHK) Secretary General Bambang Hendroyono said that the forest and land fires (Karhutla) have become now a very rare case in the oil palm plantations due to their continual preventive efforts.
He said that the three steps of forest and land fires prevention, control and restoration have been adopted by the government and business players, including the oil palm growers, as a basic strategy in dealing with the possibility of forest and land fires during dry season. “Besides the three steps, I also support the efforts to improve the management of oil palm plantations to increase investments, production and market competitiveness, for the sake of increasing foreign exchange,” Bambang Hendroyono told the virtual discussion of “Ngobrol Bareng Gapki” held by Gapki on Tuesday.
But despite of the rare case of forest and land fires, he said that all business players should continually strengthen their synergy to prevent the forest and land fires by, among others, appropriately managing the derelict lands and continually educating the public on how to prevent the fires.
The Indonesian Palm Oil Association (GAPKI) Chairman Joko Supriyono said that Gapki has always given a special attention to the forest and land fires. “Under a partnership with the KLHK, Gapki has established a synergy with various stakeholders to continually pursue efforts of preventing and controlling the forest and land fires,” the Gapki chairman said.
Bambang Hendroyono pointed out that based on the instruction of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), the prevention of Karhutla should now become the main priority. “Special attention should be given to the peat lands which are still fire-prone zones during dry season,” he said.
According to him, during the period of May – August this year (2020) the KLHK and the meteorology, climatology and geophysics board (BMKG) will conduct a series of cloud seeding through the weather modification technology to create artificial rains in the fire-prone areas, especially those in the provinces of Riau, Jambi, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan, which saw recurring cases of fires during the last few years.
The artificial rains are also expected to replenish water in the reservoirs and canals that already made in the peat lands to maintain their water volume at safe level during the dry season.
He asked GAPKI to continually participate in the efforts of preventing the forest and land fires. “These preventive efforts should be pursued thoroughly. Not only by educating the public, but by taking all necessary preventive steps that have become the strategy of the central government and regional governments,” said Bambang. (*)
Source: Investor daily/Tropis.co
