Jakarta, IO – The government is urged to establish a national emergency response to forest and land fires as the number of hotspots have reached tens of thousands.
This pressure came from the Pantau Gambut, a non-governmental organization (NGO). Based on their data, hotspots have been observed in 47,760 locations as of end of September, per CNN Indonesia Saturday (14/10),
Pantau Gambut campaigner Abil Salsabila said he figure represents the most hotspots recorded throughout 2023, thus the government should not ignore this fact.
“The government must not turn a blind eye to this condition. There is a lot of homework that must be done, including creating a national emergency status,” said Abil.
Pantau Gambut also proposes inspection and law enforcement against companies that violate the rules. They also encourage the government to commit to restoration of the peat ecosystem.
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Separately, Bayu Herinata, director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) office in Central Kalimantan, said the government has been slow to declare an emergency response. For instance, he said, the Central Kalimantan Provincial Administration has yet to take such measure even though four regencies/municipalities have ordered schools there to be closed.
The rising number of hotspots was also reported by the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) in the first week of October. It recorded 30,792 hotspots is Central Kalimantan in the October 1-7 period. This figure has increased significantly by around 5,000 from 25,950 recorded in the September 25-30 period. (un)