Jokowi Responds To Malaysia's Complaints About Smoked Fog: Forest And Land Fires Can Still Be Controlled

President Joko Widodo when giving a statement after attending the Jokowi 2023 Young Ulama Solidarity National Leadership Meeting at Istora Senayan, Gelora Bung Karno, Jakarta, Saturday (7/10/2023). (ANTARA/Mecca Yumna)

JAKARTA - President Joko Widodo said forest and land fires (karhutla) in Indonesia can currently still be well controlled compared to previous years.

Jokowi said this in response to reports of complaints from Malaysia and Singapore over smoke as a result of forest fires in Indonesia.

"We can control it well here. Try to compare it with 2015, it's still a lot further; but the impact of the fire must have emitted smoke and smoke if it was hit by the wind, it could go anywhere," Jokowi said at Istora Senayan, Jakarta, as reported by ANTARA, Saturday, October 7.

The President said the heat that occurs due to the long dry season today is indeed more than normal. Forest fires, he said, did not only occur in Indonesia, but also in the United States and Canada.

Jokowi has also ordered the TNI Commander Admiral Yudo Margono and the National Police Chief General Pol. Listyo Sigit Prabowo and the relevant regional government must immediately deal with the slightest hotspot that appears.

"It must be handled so as not to get bigger," said Jokowi.

Previously, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) denied allegations of smog as a result of forest and land fires in Indonesia passing to Malaysia.

With regard to the cross-border smoke image map, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry received a report on the image map of smoke dispersal from the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and The ASEAN Specialized Meteorological Center (ASMC) for the period 28-30 September 2023 and 1 October 2023 at 16.00 WIB.

The Indonesian government uses ASMC data and Himawari satellite imagery operated by BMKG to see the spread of smog to neighboring countries.

Based on data from ASMC and BMKG, as of Saturday morning there was no detectable cross-border smoke from Indonesian areas that were experiencing forest and land fires, namely South Sumatra, Jambi, South Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan.