Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post 12 Aug 09;
A government investigating team has found fire hot spots spread across concessions belonging to 77 companies operating in Riau during the first-seven months that forced the closure of thousands of schools due to thick haze.
A team from the environment ministry is still investigating the sources of forest fires on land owned by the forest concession holders and industrial timber and plantation firms.
"We want to find out for sure if the fires were lit by the respective firms or by local residents," Hilmar Sirait, an assistant to the ministry's deputy for law enforcement, said Tuesday.
"There's also the possibility these companies are hiring local people to burn the land."
Nine hundred hot spots have been recorded in the province in the period from January to July, ministry data shows. A hot spot is defined as a fire covering at least 1 hectare of land.
Hilmar said the ministry would focus on forest fires raging on land owned by the four companies with the most hot spots.
The environment ministry has pledged to submit findings on forest fires in Riau to police, for legal action against perpetrators showing a disdain for the environmental law.
Those found guilty of breaching any of the articles in the law can face up to 10 years in prison and/or Rp 500 million (US$50,000) in fines.
Environment minister Rachmat Witoelar said the government would rope off all the burned land as evidence.
"We'll forbid the companies from expanding their business into areas where fire hot spots have been detected," he said.
In July, WWF Indonesia detected 9,841 hot spots in Riau, West Kalimantan, Jambi and South Sumatra.
By comparison, the WWF detected 31,648 hotspots in the whole of 2007 and 32,838 in 2008.
However, Jambi Forestry Agency head Budidaya said as quoted by Antara that there were no more hot spots in Jambi as of Tuesday, due to rains.
He said the agency had detected only 110 hot spots in Riau and 75 in South Sumatra.
Forest fires are an annual occurrence across the vastly forested country during the dry season. In 2006, 145,000 hot spots were detected, making it the second-worst season since 1997.
The El Ni*o weather phenomenon is expected to worsen the situation this year.
Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) chairman Sofyan Wanandi urged the government to take stern action against companies engaging in slash-and-burn clearing of land, as a deterrent to prevent future fires.
"The violators must be taken to jail for damaging the environment," he said Tuesday as quoted by Antara, during a visit to Palangkaraya.
"It's wrong of the companies to burn forests as a low-cost way to expand business. If no action is taken, more forest fires will break out in coming years."
He said slash-and-burn methods would damage the ecology and worsen the climate.
In response, Central Kalimantan Governor Agustin Teras Narang said he would revoke the business permits of companies clearing land through burning.
"I'll revoke the permits of the companies if there is strong evidence, because we've long prohibited them from burning land for whatever reason," he said.
