REPUBLIKA.CO.ID JAKARTA -- President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has urged several related ministries such as the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to revoke permits of several companies that triggered land and forest fires in Indonesia. "There were several permits that were revoked in 2015 and 2016. I have asked the ministries not to announce the notice of revocation of burner companies in 2017 but impose the sanctions directly," Jokowi said here on Monday.

According to Jokowi, the government would take firm action to avoid land and forest fires. The president added that the total loss in 2015 due to forest fires was worth Rp220 trillion.

Jokowi urged the law enforcers to take firm action to resolve incidents of forest fires. He reiterated that some companies that own concession permits should maintain and preserve their own production fields by implementing friendly environment cultivation process.

Jokowi also asked the Peatland Restoration Agency or BRG to immediately restore the peatland areas that were burned in 2015. "I hope the central government, the Police, the Indonesian Military and the provincial administration would simultaneously work together to avoid land and forest fires in 2017," he stated.

Additionally, the Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya also urged the companies not to burn their production fields. "I will check several government rules that are supporting the president's directives to avoid fires," she said.

Previously, Jokowi had reminded ministers and regional authorities to remain vigilant against forest fires starting from early this year. The meteorology, climatology and geophysics agency (BMKG) has forecast that 2017 will be drier compared to 2016. The forest and plantation fires had affected 2.089 million hectares of land and caused financial losses worth Rp220 trillion in 2015. 

Ikuti Whatsapp Channel Republika