Every year the haze disaster continues to frighten all parties, like a donkey that is said to fall twice, this is more than what is called, because every year it repeats like falling in the same hole. From the data obtained, this year as many as 267 hotspots were seen in Sumatra, 114 of which were in Riau.

History of forest fires in Indonesia
Forest fires in Indonesia have occurred since the time of the Dutch East Indies Government, as evidenced by several regulations issued by the Dutch East Indies Government related to forest fires such as the Forest Ordinance for Java and Madura (1927) article 20 etc. Forest and land fires continued even after the independence of the Republic of Indonesia, there were still five major incidents of forest fire periods, namely in 1982-1983 which destroyed 3.2 million hectares of losses reaching 6 trillion rupiah, in 1987 which devoured 66,000 hectares. 1991 consumed 500,000 hectares, 1994-1995 which destroyed more than 5 million hectares, and 1997-1998 which caused economic losses of 2.7 billion.

So judging from history, Indonesia is not spared from forest and land fires, until now. This is a tough homework for the new government and its staff functions to immediately find a significant solution. Continue the legacy or make a new breakthrough.

Where do the fires come from
Fires originate from slash and burn practices resulting from plantation activities, both corporate and individual. Mostly done by palm oil or paper companies. Slash and burn is done to clear land for planting new crops or to clear new land for planting. This activity is carried out because it is more effective, easier and cheaper. The land that is burned does not die immediately when exposed to the wind, instead it makes husks that continue to emit smoke, because the type of land is peat which has a low fire point or is flammable.

What to do if there is a forest fire?
As much as possible reduce activities outside the home, even some schools in Riau are closed if there is thick smoke. If you must go outside, do so for only two hours at most, and wear a mask that can filter out the haze particles.

Ratification
Indonesia has apparently ratified the agreement between Asean countries on transboundary haze on January 20, 2015, this agreement has been delayed for 10 years. With this agreement, the Indonesian government must strengthen its policy on forest fires and haze. This policy is meaningless if it is not accompanied by implementation in the field and also law enforcement. The government must also be actively involved in the decision-making process with countries in the ASEAN region on the issue of haze.Every year the haze disaster continues to frighten all parties, like a donkey that is said to fall twice, this is more than I don't know what to call it, because every year it repeats like falling in the same hole. From the data obtained, this year as many as 267 hotspots were seen in Sumatra, 114 of which were in Riau.

History of forest fires in Indonesia
Forest fires in Indonesia have occurred since the time of the Dutch East Indies Government, as evidenced by several regulations issued by the Dutch East Indies Government related to forest fires such as the Forest Ordinance for Java and Madura (1927) article 20 etc. Forest and land fires continued even after the independence of the Republic of Indonesia, there were still five major incidents of forest fire periods, namely in 1982-1983 which destroyed 3.2 million hectares of losses reaching 6 trillion rupiah, in 1987 which devoured 66,000 hectares. 1991 consumed 500,000 hectares, 1994-1995 which destroyed more than 5 million hectares, and 1997-1998 which caused economic losses of 2.7 billion.

So judging from history, Indonesia is not spared from forest and land fires, until now. This is a tough homework for the new government and its staff functions to immediately find a significant solution. Continue the legacy or make new breakthroughs.

Where do the fires come from
Fires originate from slash-and-burn practices resulting from plantation activities, both corporate and individual. Mostly done by palm oil or paper companies. Slash and burn is done to clear land for planting new crops or to clear new land for planting. This activity is carried out because it is more effective, easier and cheaper. The land that is burned does not die immediately when exposed to the wind, instead it makes husks that continue to emit smoke, because the type of land is peat which has a low fire point or is flammable.

What to do if there is a forest fire?
As much as possible reduce activities outside the home, even some schools in Riau are closed if there is thick smoke. If you must go outside, do so for only two hours at most, and wear a mask that can filter out the haze particles.

Ratification
Indonesia has apparently ratified the agreement between Asean countries on transboundary haze on January 20, 2015, this agreement has been delayed for 10 years. With this agreement, the Indonesian government must strengthen its policy on forest fires and haze. This policy is meaningless if it is not accompanied by implementation in the field and also law enforcement. In addition to this, the government must also be actively involved in the decision-making process with countries in the ASEAN region on the issue of haze.

Author: Diah Sulistiowati - Communication & Advocacy Coordinator