Government Urged To Ban Conversion Of Fire Ravaged Forest Lands

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - The Commission of VIII of the Parliament strongly urged the government to ban conversion of fires ravaged forest lands into plantations.

Chairman of the  Commission Saleh Partaonan Daulay asked the National Disaster Control Body (BNPB) to recommend President Joko Widodo to ban conversion of forest lands left empty by fires into plantations.

Big forest fires have caused extensive damage to the country's tropical forests, and plantation companies and farmers  have been blamed for most of the disasters.

"We urge for a presidential decision to ban the land leveled to the ground by fires from being converted into plantations. The ban would serve as a preventive measure against a repeat of forest fires in the future," Saleh said.

Forest fires have not only damaged the forests but the fires have caused tens of missions  of the people suffer as the result of the fires.

BNPB said at least 43 million people have suffered from difficulty of breathing with thick smokes blanketing villages  even a number of big cities.

 Haze of black smoke has left 12 people dead from smokes related diseases mainly respiratory track infection.

Almost every year dirty smokes spewed by fores and bush fires have cause problem  in the country even in neighboring countries including Malaysia and Singapore.

This year is the longest with forest fires ravaging and destroying millions of hectares of forests over the past three months mainly in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Forest fires have also been reported in Sulawesi and Papua.

Saleh said forest and bush fires have caused "extraordinary damage , not to mention budget fund used to pay for the cost of seeking to put an end to the fires.

He blamed plantation companies for most of the fires saying plantation companies have used fires as an easy way of clearing land.

"Therefore, banning forest lands left empty by the forest fires  from being used for plantations is one way of preventing forest fires in the future," he said.

The license for using the lands should be canceled, he added.

Saleh said the Parliament might set up a special committee for forest fires if the recommendation is not accepted by the government.

A number of countries including Singapore, Australia, Malaysia and Russia have offered and provided aid in aircraft to spray water in a bid to put and end to the fires. (WDY)