The president`s instructions included an order to the environment and forestry minister to stop issuing licenses for the exploitation of peatland areas and start conducting land revitalization.
Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has issued several instructions on efforts to tackle land and forest fires during a limited cabinet meeting here on Friday, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

"The president stated that the haze disaster arising due to forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan is still at a dangerous level," Head of BNPBs Information Center and Public Relations Sutopo Purwo Nugroho stated here on Friday.

The presidents instructions included an order to the environment and forestry minister to stop issuing licenses for the exploitation of peatland areas and start conducting land revitalization. The land areas for which permits have been granted should soon be reviewed.

"Besides this, the president also ordered to maintain peatland areas, which have not yet been cultivated. The ecosystem in peatland areas should be restored and put in order again," he remarked.

With regard to short-term handling measures, Sutopo said the president had urged the ministers to conduct onfield monitoring.

"The plan to conduct evacuation should be carried out soon. The haze victims should not necessarily be evacuated to areas outside the city or to other regions. They could be moved to offices of the district heads or mayors or offices of the regional governments to provide assistance to infants and weak victims," he explained.

Jokowi also urged to prepare rooms equipped with air-purifying devices to prevent smoke from entering the houses and to provide health services to the people.

It is difficult to evacuate victims to areas outside the city or other regions as their livelihood would be affected. The president has ordered the health minister to mobilize health facilities by involving the private sector and people.

The education minister was also instructed to pacify school children in the face of the impending state examination as they had been allowed to stay home for some time. The teachers, parents, and students need to be pacified to allay any tensions or anxieties as the date of the examination was nearing.

"The president has supported the deployment of people to help overcome the haze and has urged the National Defense Forces, the National Police, ministries, and other state agencies to jointly overcome forest and land fires," he affirmed.

The BNPB has recorded a total of 2,742 hotspots of forest, peatland, and plantation fires across Indonesia on Thursday.

Of the total hotspots, Papua had 744, South Sumatra 703, Central Kalimantan 462, West Kalimantan 290, and East Kalimantan 153, Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, the spokesman of the BNPB, remarked here on Thursday.

"Thick haze is still shrouding Sumatra, Kalimantan, and parts of Papua," he noted.

The haze has also reduced visibility in the affected regions.

"This morning, the visibility was 1.2 thousand meters in Padang, 50 meters in Pekanbaru, 700 meters in Jambi, one thousand meters in Palembang, 400 meters in Pontianak, 300 meters in Ketapang, and 100 meters in Palangkaraya," he stated.

The pollutant standard index in Riau, Jambi, West Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan has reached a hazardous level. In Palembang, South Sumatra, the index reached a very unhealthy level, while in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, it was at an unhealthy level.

The fact that residents of the haze-affected regions have been exposed to hazardous smoke is a matter of grave concern.

The BNPB has been working hard to put out the fires through land and aerial operations by conducting water bombing and inducing artificial rains.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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