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Fires in Jambi cost Rp 716 billion
The uncontrolled burning of over 9,000 hectares of peatland in East Tanjungjabung and Muaro Jambi in Jambi province in 2015 has caused some Rp 716 billion (US$ 51
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he uncontrolled burning of over 9,000 hectares of peatland in East Tanjungjabung and Muaro Jambi in Jambi province in 2015 has caused some Rp 716 billion (US$ 51.23 million) in losses, an environmentalist activist has claimed.
Manager of the Indonesian Conservation Community Warsi Rudi Syaf said that the figure took into account ecological damage, economic losses, air pollution and the direct cost of post-fire recovery efforts.
He expressed concern that although the forest and peatland fires occurred every year, the government and other relevant parties could not find solution.
'The companies and local residents involved in the plantation work in the peatland area should have anticipated the fires. We do not see any serious efforts to prevent them,' Rudi said on Friday.
According to Rudi, companies and residents may contribute to the peatland fires in the eastern part of the province without intentionally lighting them. 'It could be that their negligence caused the fires in the peatland areas,' he said, adding that in the current extended dry season, the sun alone could set the peatland alight.
Therefore, companies operating plantations in peatland areas needed to plan from the very beginning to prevent the easy spread of fire during the dry season, Rudi said, adding that the government also needed to provide knowledge to the business community about doing business safely in the peatland area.
'It will be much more viable than spending so much money on extinguishing fires that occur every year,' he added.
Rudi said that his organization had recorded a constant increase in the number of hotspots in Jambi; there were 376 in 2013, 539 in 2014 and 711 in 2015. He predicted an even greater increase this year due to the longer dry season. (bbn)
