Indonesia Evaluates International Aid as it Races to Quench Massive Forest Fires
Indonesia weighs foreign firefighting aid and tightens land-clearing laws to stop deadly forest blazes and transboundary haze. Full details here.
POLICY WIRE — Jakarta, Indonesia — The Indonesian government is currently reviewing international offers of assistance to combat widespread land and forest fires, with the goal of fully extinguishing the blazes in under a month.
Environment Minister Jumhur Hidayat announced during a Tuesday forum on Oct 13 that the government will evaluate foreign aid based on the specific type of support provided to ensure it effectively speeds up ground operations.
While the minister did not list specific nations, Singapore has expressed readiness to assist as haze persists, and Malaysia previously offered 52 personnel, three helicopters, and firefighting aircraft.
Minister Jumhur noted that because Indonesia has already mobilized tens of thousands of responders, small groups of foreign personnel might offer limited utility.
He further explained that the utility of water-bombing aircraft must be weighed against actual operational requirements and effectiveness.
Officials have noted that ground-based efforts remain the primary strategy, as dense smoke often makes certain regions inaccessible to helicopters.
The fires, which have burned for several weeks, have triggered a rise in respiratory illnesses across three countries and forced school closures in Malaysia’s southern state of Johor.
Current firefighting priorities are concentrated in the provinces of South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan.
“Based on discussions with the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), it should take a few weeks (to extinguish the fires). But since intensity is already starting to decline, hopefully it will take less (than a month),” Jumhur said.
The minister acknowledged that firefighting teams are still struggling with operational hurdles and a lack of sufficient water supplies.
To prevent future disasters, the government intends to overhaul land-clearing regulations, including the removal of a current exemption that allows traditional burning on household plots up to two hectares.
Additionally, authorities are weighing a ban on replanting commercial crops, such as oil palm, on concession lands that were previously burned.
Jumhur cautioned that the state will apply rigorous sanctions if evidence emerges that concession areas were intentionally set on fire.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
