167 Thousand Hectare Of Land In Babel Critical Due To Mining Activities, Provincial Government: Companies Must Be Responsible

Forest fires in Riau (ANTARA)

PANGKALPINANG - An area of ​​167,104 hectares of land in Bangka Belitung (Babel) is in the critical category due to mining activities. The Babel provincial government has also invited private companies to be involved in the rehabilitation.

Head of the Babel Province Environment and Forestry Service (DLHK) Fery Apriyanto said the government is inviting companies to participate in the rehabilitation of critical lands through social and environmental responsibility programs.

"We have carried out an inventory of forest areas as a guideline for the local government (pemda) to be able to make further policies, as well as fostering companies so that they can issue social and environmental responsibility programs and funds to rehabilitate damaged or critical land," Fery said as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday 16 February.

He said, related to the results of an inventory of damaged and critical land that had been carried out and it was found that of all the land in Babel covering an area of ​​1,668,933 hectares, there was a critical land area of ​​167,104 hectares.

"For forest areas that are maintained, it is still above 80 percent and the government will continue to arrange forest areas based on the Job Creation Law," he said.

The Babel Provincial Government continues to try to protect forest areas from damage because until now the potential for critical land in the area still exists, so DLHK Babel continues to work with various parties to make an inventory of forest area arrangements.

Much of the damage to forest areas in Babel, he said, was caused by mining activities and this cause was fairly evenly distributed in every district/city.

"We hope that individuals or companies can maximize the rehabilitation of these lands so they can be re-greened," he said.

Based on data available at the Babel DLHK according to the Decree of the Director General of PDAS Number 49/PDASRH/PPPDAS/DAS.0/12/2022 the amount of critical and very critical land is 167,104 hectares, in East Belitung Regency 38,884 hectares.

While in South Bangka 31,232 hectares, Central Bangka 30,948 hectares, Bangka 24,463 hectares, Belitung 21,919 hectares, West Bangka 19,562 hectares, and Pangkalpinang City 96 hectares.