South Kalimantan to Restore Peatland

Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan (AntaranewsKalsel) - South Kalimantan provincial government will soon form a peatlands restoration team to anticipate peatland and swamps fires.


The Provincial Secretary Arsyadi in the workshop on peatland restoration here on Wednesday said that the team be formed from several agencies and relevant institutions responsible for handling a variety of issues and problem of peatland.

"The team will perform data collection and mapping of areas of peat land must be restored, because of damage or drought," he said.

On funding, added Arsyadi, because this is a newly formed team then the costs can be taken from each of the relevant agencies, especially the funds reserved for the land and forest fires.

He mentions as did Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) which receive funding from their respective ministries.

"I've questioned the issue with the head of the BRG, and they do the same thing, like what we had planned," he said.

With the formation of the restoration team, said Arsyadi, the government no longer just perform fire fighting efforts during a fire, as it had been done, but also prevention to the fire not to occur.

"Previously we only put out the fire, but with this restoration team we do land fire prevention activities, and this is much better," he said.

Head of the Hall of Swamp Binsar Parlinggoman Simatupangkalit said restoration would take precedence over the lands burned in the previous year, and peatland experienced drought.

According to Binsar, nationally peatlands in Indonesia reached 20.6 million hectares, and 9 million hectares of which are in good condition.

While in South Kalimantan, he said, the total land area of 1.1 million hectares of swamp, although partially damaged, but not until degraded.edited by mahdani