Jakarta, Jan 25 (Antara) - The government will continue to restore and preserve peatlands through the construction of various facilities such as long storages, canal blocks, artesian wells and irrigation canals.
The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) has allocated Rp3 billion for the construction of long storage facility in 2017. The construction of the facility is to protect important places such as airports from the threat of peatland fires.
"In 2017, the PUPR Ministry allocated Rp3 billion to build long storages," Parlinggoman Simanungkalit, of the Natural Resource Research and Development Center of the PUPR Ministry, said recently.
According to Nazir Foead, the head of the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG), the PUPR Ministry is committed to develop the long storage facility, which is meant to store water for use in peatland areas.
The budget for the development of the long storage project is included in the budget for the PUPR ministry, which is coordinated directly by the PUPR minister. Along the long storage area, artificial dams will also be built, so that the area could serve as a tourist destination.
"The project's budget is included in the budget of the PUPR ministry. In the area around the storage project, artificial lakes will also be built, which will serve as tourist spot," Nazir added.
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), in a coordination meeting on Monday (Jan 23), said that the government should also continue the development of canal blocks in peatland areas.
"Last year, the number of canal blocks built reached 11 thousand units. However, this number is still small, and the PUPR and BRG will be in charge of this area. Do not forget that private companies, which are the land owners, should be responsible for the construction of canal blocks," Jokowi asserted.
According to BRG Head Nazir Foead, until 2016, a total of 15 thousand canal blocks had been built, and the president has called to build more in 2017.
The Public Works and Public Housing Ministry, BRG, and provincial governments ordered to build more canal blocks. Therefore, BRG will resume its efforts to build more canal blocks and artesian wells, and it will be done following consultations with the local residents, he remarked.
The consultations will be carried out with the hope that the local people will help maintain the already built canal blocks. This is necessary since some of the already built canal blocks in Sebangau, Central Kalimantan, were broken by the locals.
As there are currently only 516 artesian wells, private companies are also requested to build them. The number of boreholes was still small in 2016, and the government will build as many as possible in 2017. Private companies owning the land are responsible for developing artesian wells.
In a bid to irrigate peatland areas, the BRG will also coordinate with the Public Works Service in South Kalimantan to build an irrigation canal to channel water from a river to a protected forest located in proximity to the Syamsuddin Noor Airport, which is often affected by haze.
"We have built canal blocks and artesian wells, but it seems they are not adequate, as the area is still often affected by haze that blankets the airport. If this system is successful, we will map vital regions that need the same system to be built," Nazir pointed out.
According to Nazir, his agency set a target to restore 400 thousand hectares of peatlands in 2017. Forest based companies are to be accountable for carrying out 50 percent of the peat restoration target of 400 thousand hectares this year.
"We want restoration to reach 400,000 hectares this year and half of which have to be handled by forest based companies. BRG will take the remaining 200,000 hectares,"the agency chief Nazir Foead said.
Restoration by forest based companies in 2017 is targeted to cover 282,189 hectares in addition to 600 thousand hectares whose restoration was not yet completed in 2016.
"BRG together with the Environment and Forestry Ministry and the Plantation Directorate General of the Agriculture Ministry would give guidelines in carrying out the restoration by the companies," he said.
BRG will also begin restoring protected and conservation areas that were burnt in 2015. The funds to be utilized are from the BRG and Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK). However, the implementation of the program, particularly in the conservation area, will be carried out by the KLHK, as it has a better understanding of it.
"The Tahura Jungle Park in Jambi will also be restored in 2017. The same will be done in the protected forest area in Pulang Pasau, Central Kalimantan. Restoration of conservation areas is also being proposed in 2017 in Air Sugihan in South Sumatra, Berbak National Park in Jambi, and Giam Siak Kecil Bukit Batu in Riau Province. These will be restored in coordination with the Directorate General of Nature Conservation and Ecosystem," he revealed.(A014/INE)EDITED BY INE(T.A014/A/BESSR/A. Abdussalam) 25-01-2017 21:57:1 |
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