Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menko Polkam) asked Central Kalimantan and West Kalimantan to stop issuing permits for land burning.

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs (Menkopolkam) Djamari Chaniago asked the Central Kalimantan and West Kalimantan regional governments to stop issuing permits for land burning for garden purposes in the midst of the El Nino condition.

The potential for extreme heat and drought caused by the El Nino phenomenon can trigger forest and land fires (karhutla), therefore permits for burning land to open new plantations need to be reviewed.

"The prevention effort (karhutla) is with law enforcement, once there are simple violations. There were indeed two provinces that allowed burning land for the sake of gardens, in traditional ways. I also talked to the governor to be ready to take care of it. In this situation, if necessary, stop the law first," he said as reported by ANTARA, Monday, August 10.

Meanwhile, the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Suharyanto explained that in the Environmental Law there is indeed a permit to open land by burning with a maximum area of one hectare, but the creation of a Regional Regulation (Perda) for it needs to be discussed with the DPR or DPRD.

"Because if the land is ordinary, the mineral land of one hectare is no problem, but because the peat land there are strict requirements for opening the land by burning it, but it is difficult, now, this is a moratorium. So, for Central Kalimantan, the Governor said he would postpone the regulation, for West Kalimantan it will be discussed with the DPRD," he explained.

He also explained that the Ministry of Environment (KLH) would immediately make a circular so that the regulations would not be enforced temporarily until El Nino ended.

Previously, BNPB also encouraged the West Kalimantan Provincial Government to review the implementation of regional regulations that allow land burning to open gardens in the midst of a long drought.

"For the time being, the ordinance should not be implemented first. To revoke the ordinance, it is the authority of the Governor, not from BNPB," said Deputy Head of Emergency Management BNPB Major General TNI Budi Irawan.

According to Budi, the review is necessary because this year's drought is expected to last longer so that land burning has the potential to trigger fires that are difficult to control.

Based on field monitoring, most of the fires that occurred in the areas reviewed were suspected to have been triggered by human activities, including land clearing by burning.

Budi said there were regional regulations that provided space for the public to burn up to two hectares of land to open a garden. The provisions are accompanied by a number of requirements, including the obligation to keep the fire from spreading to other land.