Enviro News Asia, Bali – Indonesia’s success in suppressing forest and land fires (karhutla) in recent years drew significant attention at the 27th Meeting of the Ministerial Steering Committee (MSC) on Transboundary Haze Pollution in Bali. Minister of Environment/Head of the Environmental Control Agency (KLH/BPLH) Moh. Jumhur Hidayat affirmed that the achievement is the result of a consistently applied mitigation strategy built on collaboration among government, communities, and business actors.
“Indonesia has a strong and proven commitment. For several years now, hotspots have continued to decline. This is the result of concrete mitigation steps, including mobilizing concession holders and communities to continuously keep peatlands watered so they remain wet during extended dry seasons,” Minister Jumhur said.
He said these efforts are reinforced through the construction of canal blocks and embung reservoirs to maintain peatland moisture and reduce fire risk during prolonged dry seasons. Indonesia has also continued strengthening its satellite-based monitoring system capable of detecting hotspots in real time, enabling faster response before fires spread.
“We also use satellite systems capable of detecting hotspots quickly so action can be taken immediately. This information system provides excellent feedback for forest and land fire prevention and response efforts,” Minister Jumhur said.
Beyond prevention, the government also applies firm law enforcement against those responsible for burning forests and land, with no tolerance for companies or other parties proven to have caused environmental damage.
“The sanctions are in place and they are substantial, so this is not something to take lightly. We have on several occasions imposed sanctions of hundreds of billions of rupiah on companies proven to have caused fires. Large companies have been sanctioned,” Minister Jumhur said.
He added that investment transparency is also a shared concern among ASEAN nations, noting that neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore are aware of their companies operating in Indonesia. All concession holders, regardless of their country of origin, are therefore expected to fulfill fire prevention obligations to the maximum.
Indonesia’s experience in reducing karhutla figures formed an important part of discussions among ASEAN ministers and delegates at the MSC meeting, which reaffirmed the importance of strengthening implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, including early warning systems, cross-country coordination, and the accelerated operationalization of the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Transboundary Haze Pollution Control.
Minister Jumhur expressed confidence that with stronger regional collaboration and integrated mitigation systems, ASEAN can achieve a region free of transboundary haze pollution.
“God willing, by 2030 we will work hard to ensure haze problems no longer occur in the ASEAN region. By 2030, we will be moving toward a more refined mitigation system with a strong early warning system and real work to ensure land does not dry out,” Minister Jumhur concluded.
Indonesia’s success demonstrates that karhutla control depends not only on response when fires occur, but on consistent prevention efforts, technology support, firm law enforcement, and collaboration among all stakeholders, an approach expected to increasingly strengthen ASEAN’s collective march toward a resilient, haze-free region by 2030. (*)
