"It is better not (to formulate such regulations) since we must have no tolerance (for land burners) in order to anticipate forest fires," Suharyanto stated after attending the coordination meeting on handling forest and land fires in Palangka Raya, Central Kalimantan, Friday.
The agency head noted that since Central Kalimantan has a relatively vast area of peatlands, weak regulations towards the practice of clearing land by burning would prove to be highly detrimental. Bearing that in mind, he appealed to local governments to formulate regulations that strictly prohibit such a practice.
"Any tolerance will result in a great loss. Even if only one burns 0.1 hectares of land, it would be harmful, considering that the province is rich in peatlands," he pointed out.
Suharyanto also drew attention to the forecast of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) concerning the potential for a longer dry season this year as compared to the earlier years.
Related news: Govt prepares 15 planes to tackle forest, land fires
Hence, he appealed to all parties to step up their vigilance and preparedness as well as make all-out efforts in anticipating forest and land fires.
"Enhance Pentahelix coordination, so that the handling of forest and land fires can be undertaken in an effective and efficient manner," he emphasized.
Furthermore, he urged regional governments to keep their duties in mind, including the obligations to partake in the efforts to handle fires, such as by optimizing the tasks and functions of each regional apparatus, allocating sufficient budget, and inviting members of society to take part.
In addition, he emphasized the need to oblige forestry and agricultural business actors to ensure that they have adequate human resources and infrastructure in the hopes of enabling them to have proper capability of taking fire-anticipating measures.
"The responsibility or duty of regional governments is stipulated in Presidential Instruction Number 3 of 2020 on forest and land fires management," he concluded.
Related news: BNPB watchful of dry season in June-August
Related news: Police, military should intensify forest, land fire prevention: Jokowi
Translator: Muhammad Arif, Tegar Nurfitra
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
