Jakarta (Greeners) – The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) asserts that land and forest fires affect the ozone layer’s condition. Fires release smoke with organic compounds into the atmosphere. This compound lasts a long time, worsen ozone depletion. Other factors, such as the climate crisis, are also causing the thinning of the ultraviolet radiation-resistant layer.

“Land and forest fires worsen the condition of the ozone layer. However, the corona pandemic has reduced human activity. It automatically helps the process of restoring the ozonosphere,” says Kadarsah, Head of BMKG Climate Change Analysis, to Greeners (21/09/2020).

According to the Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) Bukit Kototabang, West Sumatra, Kadarsah continues, BMKG notes that ozone concentrations increased in August. Kadarsah argues, the increase in ozone depletion is possibly due to hotspots in some locations.

“Hotspot in August is very high. There is a possibility that it affects the ozone layer. However, it still needs to be investigated,” she explains.

Further, Kadarsah mentions the catastrophic fires had prompted a giant pyrocumulonimbus cloud that could last for months and destroy the ozonosphere. Additionally, fires also produce hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) or freons that can perforate the ozone layer.

“Forest fires also release methane gas, a greenhouse gas that is twenty-one times more toxic than carbon dioxide. This compound is harmful to ozone,” she adds.

Also read: Indigenous Community Demands Local Regulation to Claim Customary Forests

Konsentrasi harian ozon pada Agustus 2020 di Stasiun Pemantau Atmosfer Global (GAW) Bukit Kototabang, Sumatera Barat. Sumber: Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (BMKG).

Climate Crisis Aggravates the Ozone Depletion

Program Director of  Alam Sehat Lestari Foundation (ASRI), Mahardhika Putra Purba, affirms that the climate crisis aggravates the ozone depletion.

“Some factors that cause climate change are namely mining, industry, agriculture, transportation, and fires,” Purba says on a conference talk Rawat Bumi yang Merawat Kita (Caring the Earth that Cares for Us), Wednesday (16/9).

He said the stratosphere’s ozone layer serves as a barrier between Earth and the sun’s ultraviolet rays. Currently, the ozone condition is running low due to chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) in the form of chlorine, fluorine, carbon, and aerosols.

“CFC gas is dangerous because it is durable. It is also damages the environment quickly,” he explains.

When fluorine is exposed to sunlight, he continues, the compound will separate from its molecular structure. As a result, other compounds such as chlorine forms a new reaction with oxygen and separate ozone from each other.

“When ozone, which consists of three oxygens, releases one of the oxygens, the chlorine forms a reaction with oxygen that will last a long time and causes the ozone layer to become thin,” he said.

Also read: NGO: Hotspots Increase over Two Decades

MontiR-AC: Effort to Reduce the Ozone Depletion

Meanwhile, in commemoration of International Ozone Day 2020, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) signed a certification scheme for refrigeration and air conditioning technicians. In the Ozone for a Life event (16/9), the government launched MontiR-AC. MontiR-AC is an application that helps technicians to find air conditioners servicing’s gigs easier. This app also allows consumers to find competent technicians in their neighborhood easily.

“Preparing competent Refrigeration and Air Conditioner (RAC) technicians is an effort to reduce ozone depletion,” said KLHK Director General of Climate Change Control Ruandha Agung Sugardiman.

According to him, these efforts will help technicians to service RAC properly. It can also avoid the release of refrigerant into the air, which results in the depletion ozonosphere. By performing the correct service, Sugadirman continues, machine life can be prolonged. Eventually, it will save energy consumption from the equipment.

Author: Maria Soterini

Editor: Devi Anggar Oktaviani/Ixora Devi (Eng.)

Jakarta (Greeners) – The perpetual land and forest fires for over two decades are due to the increasing number of hotspots in some regions. Record from Forestry and Environment Ministry (KLHK) shows 5.5 million hectares of land are affected by land and forest fires. Further, since the massive forest fires in 2015, Indonesia has lost Rp 221 trillion.

According to Director of Auriga Nusantara Foundation Dedy Sukmara, hotspots are the main culprit of land and forest fires. Most of these hotspots are peatland. Data from Auriga Nusantara shows ten provinces in which land and forest fires emerge.

These provinces are Central, West, East and South Kalimantan, South and North Sumatera, Riau, Jambi, East Nusa Tenggara, and Papua. Other than Jambi, Central, and East Kalimantan, seven of these provinces see land and forest fires frequently.

“This is because the hotspots of land and forest fires have their own cycle,” says Sukmara on a webinar held by Auriga Nusantara “Belajar dari Kebakaran Dua Puluh Tahun Teakhir”, “Learning from Forest Fires in the Last Twenty Years,” (08/09/2020).

Also read: Forest Fires Changes Orangutan Behavior

More Study is Needed to Examine Hotspots

Last year, Sukmara continues, hotspots in Riau, South Sumatera, and Jambi are significantly increasing than hotspots from the previous two decades. However, when the data is compared from 2015 to 2019, there is not much difference.

“In 2019, Jambi records 1,136 percent or eleven times surge in peatland hotspots. In the same year, South Sumatera and Riau record 556 and 367 percent of hotspots hike,” Sukmara explains.

In the last five years, Auriga Nusantara also finds new areas with hotspots. These new hotspots are located in North and Central Sulawesi and North Kalimantan.

Further, Auriga Nusantara detects hike in hotspots in West Kalimantan in May, where it starts to decrease in October. In South and Central Kalimantan and Jambi, hotspots peak in July and begin to drop in September. On the other hand, Auriga Nusantara identifies hotspots hike in Papua in September and shrinks in October.

“We need to examine this issue further. Not only on the area where land and forest fires regularly occur but also in new areas where fire epicenter are discovered in the last five years,” adds Sukmara.

Hutan yang teah terbakar. Ilustrasi: shutterstock

KLHK: Satellite Detects Decrease in Hotspots on Confidence Level

Nonetheless, according to KLHK Head of Directorate of Forest Fires Prevention Radiyan Bagiyono, there is a ninety percent decrease of hotspots on a confidence level. This data is based on hotspots analysis from January 1^st to September 14^th, 2019, and 2020.

“Data from the satellite shows that areas affected to forest fires on January 1^st to August 31^st, 2020, echoes the data that shows a 63 percent decrease on hotspots. According to our calculation, there are 120,536 hectares of the affected area this year. This number is less than last year, where the affected area was 328.724 hectares,” says Bagiyono on a media briefing “Upaya Pengendalian Karhutla Ditingkat Tapak,” “Effort to Control Forest Fires in Subdistrict,” Tuesday (15/09).

Also read: Indonesia Prepares Grand Design on Forest Fires Prevention

Defending the Locals

When asked about the land and forest fires issue, West Kalimantan Governor, Sutarmidji defends the residents. He admits that locals are usually the scapegoat in the land and forest issue. However, he believes that giant companies that refuse to pay for land compensation are the real culprit.

Sutarmidji explains, these giant companies usually demand clean and ready to use land from locals. Yet, without the proper resources and equipment, locals would choose the burning method as an easy way to clean the land.

Furthermore, Sutarmidji clarifies that most of the land and forest fires occur in plantation and forestry companies. West Kalimantan already issued a letter to 157 companies to warn them about the fires. His administration also bans 167 companies and pursue a forced administration penalty to 20 companies.

“These companies should be our focus. All this time, these companies are free. They have never been apprehended. Locals, on the other hand, are put in jails,” he continues.

Scientific Approach to Tackle Forest Fires

Commenting on the issue, Bambang Hero Saharjo from Institut Pertanian Bogor explains that the land and forest fires issue is not only due to the practice of burning land from the locals. Saharjo argues that the way of selling and buying land and insurance claim are also factors on the issue.

Further, he argues that the government is not enforcing the law. According to Saharjo, the government has been neglecting the forest fires issue. The government also fail to engage with the locals to control the fires.

“Instead of the scientifical approach, the government uses a political approach to fight land and forest fires,” he adds.

Additionally, Saharjo gives criticism to the lack of adequate equipment on the site to fight fires.

“To combat the land and forest fires, we literally need to be equipped with good science. Based on the scientific approach, we can see the correct steps to encounter land the forest fires. We also need to engage with locals, partnered with the locals, and not making them as our sparring partner. Last, we need steady law enforcement where the forest fires culprit can be punished accordingly,” he argues.

Writers: Maria Soterini, Dewi Purningsih

Editor: Ixora Devi

Jakarta (Greeners) – Increased hotspots have been spotted in several provinces, such as Riau, South Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and West Kalimantan, in the past few weeks, said a senior official.

Head of Data and Information Center, National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB), Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said that Riau and several Sumatran areas, which have two phases of dry season, — January to March and June to October –, would be severely impacted.

“The first period will not be as dry as the second phase. This long dry season is caused by hotspots in several areas,” he said in Jakarta, on Wednesday (25/1).

READ ALSO: Peatland Restoration Agency Will Built Thousands of Canal Blocks in 2017

Based on Ministry of Environment and Forestry data, South Sumatran and South Sulawesi have shown increase in hotspots. Meanwhile, Riau has one hotspot just like last week, different with West Kalimantan, which experienced high temperature and has five hotspots but declining to no hotspot.

“For Papua, we have yet to discover any hotspot in the areas,” he added.

In a national coordination meeting, Coordinating Minister of Politics, Law, and Security, Wiranto, and Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya have instructed all parties to be aware on the potential of forest and land fires this year as resulted from drier season than last year’s.

“With that potential, Minister of Environment and Forestry had prepared prevention efforts,” he said adding the coordination also between BNPB and local administrations prone to forest and land fires.

READ ALSO: Indonesia Prepares Grand Design on Forest Fires Prevention

Riau Governor Arsyadjuliandi Rachman said that he announced alert status for forest and land forest which already active since Tuesday (24/1) to 30 April, or 96 days. This status was declared following Rokan Hulu district and Dumai city have applied the status. In addition, to prevent more fires as early as possible.

The status declaration was followed by the police and other law enforcers to set up forest and land fires task force and re-active posts to officially start the job.

Furthermore, he added President’s instruction to monitor forest and land fires from all government levels.

Report by Danny Kosasih

Jakarta (Greeners) – To anticipate the weather phenomenon El Nino, which is predicted to be stronger in February, Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry will issue a guidance on peatlands regulation and management related to tackling land and forest fires.

Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya said that higher risk from February’s El Nino was land and forest fires to occur. She added that the strength level will be reaching 2.8 degrees above average.

“From the looks of it, third week of February will be high risk. We will still continue to anticipate, if there’s any fires, we must put them out immediately,” said Minister Siti on Thursday (05/11).

Meanwhile, Chief of Meteorological Climatology and Geophysics Kukuh Rubidianto said that El Nino will hit between February and April, next year. It is the continuation of current El Nino.

“So, it is not a new El Nino but only continuing current one,” he said.

Based on BMW record, there is an anomaly of heat wave in central and eastern parts of Pacific Ocean between November and January. It will less likely to affect Indonesia which already enter rainy season. The condition is due to the Sun’s position located at northern part of the equator.

Secretary general of the ministry Bambang Hendroyono said that one of the instruments to anticipate land and forest fires was to revise the 2009 Law on Environmental Protection and Management. The government with regional administration, he added, were going to set up a guidance on land clearing by slash and burn method and pearl and management as stipulated in Article 69 Section 2.

“Addition points also include peatland moratorium on primary and non primary lands. There is also recommendation to prohibit building canals on peats. Peatland are not allowed to be burned down and it goes to everyone without exception,” he said.

Reports by Danny Kosasih