Restoration Of Peatlands In Kalimantan Is A Requirement For Food Program Development

Illustration (Photo: Antara)

JAKARTA - The Directorate General of Pollution and Environmental Damage Control (PPKL) of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) said that the restoration of the peat ecosystem is the main prerequisite for developing a food program on ex-peatland projects (PLG) in Central Kalimantan Province.

"Peat that has been restored will have an impact on water availability and a decrease in the potential for forest and land fires (karhutla) in the area, which have been occurring repeatedly," said Director General of PPKL, KLHK Karliansyah in a written statement received in Jakarta, reported by Antara , Sunday, October 25th.

Karliansyah said that the peatland ecosystem restoration was carried out, among others, by rewetting the peatlands with improved water management (rewetting), and replanting with endemic plants (rehabilitation and revegetation).

Another effort is to improve the community's economy so that they can independently participate in the protection and management of the peat ecosystem.

Karliansyah said that the construction of canal blocks in the PLG area is an effort to restore and reposition the peat ecosystem to reduce the potential for forest fires.

The construction of canal blocks which will be implemented simultaneously in heavily damaged and heavily damaged areas in Blocks A, B, C, D, and E, is part of the efforts to restore and reposition the peat ecosystem in the former PLG.

Thus, it is expected to reduce the potential for fires, and support the implementation of the national food security program in a sustainable manner.

In the first phase, the canal blocking construction will be carried out in Block A with a total of 115 canal blocks, with a canal width ranging from three meters to 16 meters.

Meanwhile, in the second stage, 575 canal blocks will be built in Blocks B, C, D, E, to be precise in Kapuas and Pulang Pisau Regencies, which will start in November 2020.

The technical coaching activity was attended by canal blocking construction implementers, candidates for canal blocking construction supervisors, representatives from the Provincial and Regency Environmental Services, and the internal team of the Directorate General of PPKL.

The implementation of this technical guidance activity aims to provide the planners, development implementers and supervisors with the same understanding of the technicalities for the construction of canal blocks starting from the planning, preparation, detailed development stages, procedures for monitoring and supervising development implementation.

With the common perception between planners who are currently assisted by the Faculty of Agriculture, Palangkaraya University, implementing contractors, and supervisors from both Lambung Mangkurat University and the Team of the Directorate General of PPKL and related agencies in local provinces and districts, it is hoped that the implementation of canal blocking construction is effective, efficient. and comply with applicable regulations. Thus, improving water management in the peat ecosystem in the former PLG can be achieved.

"Every activity that starts with technical guidance, then implementation of canal blocking construction, monitoring and supervision, always applies the COVID protocol," said Karliansyah.