Police Ask Palm Oil Entrepreneurs In South Kalimantan To Prevent Forest And Land Fires From Being Exacerbated By El Nino

Illustration of extinguishing forest and land fires or forest and land fires. (Between)

SOUTH KALIMANTAN - South Kalimantan (Kalsel) Police reminded the Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association (Gapki) to strengthen the potential for forest and land fires (karhutla) in the face of the 2023 dry seasoning.

Andreas from Sub-Directorate IV Tipidter of the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of the South Kalimantan Police said BMKG predicts the potential for extreme drought due to the El Nino phenomenon this year.

"It is necessary to commit all parties, including Gapki members who own plantation land, to prevent land fires from occurring in the company area and surrounding areas," he said when speaking at a panel discussion themed "The Strategy for Prevention and Control of Forestry in South Kalimantan" in Banjarmasin, Friday, May 12, was confiscated by Antara.

Andreas explained, in an effort to prevent and overcome it clearly refers to the Regulation of the Minister of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia Number P.32/MenLHK/Setjen/Kum.1/3/2016 concerning Forest and Land Fire Control.

The scope includes human resources and infrastructure for controlling forest and land fires (Dalkarhutla) that must be owned as well as ready whenever necessary.

Then plantation companies can also develop innovations and community empowerment and partnership cooperation in Dalkarhutla's efforts.

"Make sure every plantation land also has a fire monitoring tower and officers who routinely patrol," he explained.

Andreas also invited Gapki members to take advantage of the application to Fight Forest and Land Fires (Bekantan) belonging to the Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation of the South Kalimantan Police as a channel to provide reports of forest and land fires or seek information on hotspots in the South Kalimantan area "realtime".

Meanwhile, another speaker, Head of Sub-Directorate for Preparedness of the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) of South Kalimantan, Ariansyah, said the company's responsibility was not only on its plantation land but also in the surrounding area if hotspots appeared.

He emphasized that corporate social responsibility (CSR) companies can also be directed in the field of disaster, including efforts to prevent and control forest and land fires in regencies or cities where plantation land is located.

"Remember, the cost of extinguishing the fire is much greater than prevention efforts, so it is important how the fire does not appear and grow," he said.

Moreover, the impact of the burned land has caused many losses, ranging from loss of benefits and potential forest resources, declining soil fertility, disrupting the health of the smog, causing enormous social and economic losses.

The panel discussion is part of a series of the 2023 Gapki South Kalimantan Branch Working Meeting (Rakercab) with the theme "The Role of Gapki South Kalimantan in strengthening partnerships through the people's palm oil rejuvenation program and SIAKA KU INTIP towards sustainable palm oil".

The head of the South Kalimantan Gapki Eddy S Binti stated that as many as 53 members with an oil palm plantation area of 260 thousand hectares had collaborated with farmer groups and volunteers were concerned to jointly prevent forest and land fires.

"The central Gapki has written to us and has been forwarded to all members regarding the vigilance of forest and land fires this year, all of them are committed to increasing prevention and totality efforts in dealing with it," he said.