Low Disaster Resilience Budget Allocation, DPR Asks KLHK To Seriously Prevent Forest Fires

Illustration (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Member of Commission IV of the DPR RI, Johan Rosihan, asked the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) to be more serious in preventing and controlling forest fires. This is because the KLHK budget allocation for disaster resilience and climate change is minimal. Johan criticized the expenditure portion of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, whose budget post amounts to Rp 11.22 trillion, but for disaster resilience and climate change only a small amount is allocated, namely 2.3 percent of the total expenditure of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. According to him, this is questionable because Indonesia is a disaster-prone area and requires an adequate budget to curb climate change. Likewise, the commitment to form 20,000 climate villages to strengthen local actions to control climate change, said Johan to reporters, Thursday, April 7. Johan said that the main budget for the Ministry of Environment and Forestry should be aimed at reducing the rate of deforestation and maintaining environmental conditions at the required tolerance. However, he said, the budget portion is very inadequate. Therefore, this PKS politician regrets the small portion of the budget for disaster resilience and climate change allocated by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. In fact, according to him, the state must have vigilance as a disaster-prone area that is exacerbated by climate change, which results in an increase in the number of disaster events. The NTB electoral district legislator also highlighted the importance of supervision in terms of environmental sustainability and productivity. "Currently the oligarchs have controlled and regulated our development, so there must be a strict monitoring system to ensure our forests remain sustainable and productive. Because it can have an impact on improving the welfare of the people in and around the forest," said Johan. in the environmental aspect is still very small. In fact, he said, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry does not yet have a strategic plan to increase the target of the environmental quality index, waste management performance, and reduce the rate of deforestation. This is because, added Johan, the area of forest released for land for the agrarian reform object (TORA) is 728.1 thousand hectares. . Not to mention the area of community-managed forest area of 1,750,000 hectares. Therefore, he questioned the extent of the KLHK's supervision of the released lands. And how is the form of accountability for land use because the area is very large and needs to be evaluated as well as to what extent it can increase the prosperity and welfare of the community. The threat of deforestation must always be considered in every development policy for the future of life and our country's homeland," concluded Johan.