Jakarta, Bali Eyewitness News – The Jakarta administration has placed 367 health facilities on standby to treat potential health problems linked to forest fire haze after satellite monitoring detected smoke from Sumatra and Kalimantan moving across Greater Jakarta on Friday, Oct. 16.
Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung said the facilities were ready to treat residents experiencing health problems suspected to be related to haze exposure, regardless of whether they hold Jakarta identity cards.
The facilities comprise 31 city-owned hospitals, 44 community health centers and 292 auxiliary community health centers.
“The services are not limited to Jakarta ID card holders. Anyone who visits a community health center, an auxiliary health center or a hospital is welcome, as long as they are suspected of experiencing health problems related to the haze,” Pramono told reporters on Monday.The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) detected smoke from forest and land fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan moving across Jakarta, Banten and West Java on Oct. 16 through satellite monitoring.
However, the agency said on Oct. 17 that the smoke was beginning to move away from Greater Jakarta. It also cautioned that smoke detected in the upper atmosphere did not necessarily indicate deteriorating air quality at ground level.
The Jakarta administration remains on alert, as air quality in the capital is also affected by local sources of pollution, including vehicle exhaust and industrial emissions, as well as dry-season conditions.
Several air quality monitoring stations in Jakarta continue to record moderate to unhealthy conditions, with fine particulate matter known as PM2.5 among the key pollutants of concern.
PM2.5 consists of tiny airborne particles that can penetrate deep into the lungs. Exposure can cause respiratory and cardiovascular health problems, with children, older people and those with existing respiratory conditions particularly vulnerable.
Pramono said he had not yet received reports on the number of residents seeking treatment for health problems potentially linked to haze exposure. He assured the public, however, that the city’s health facilities were prepared to respond if cases emerged.
The move is intended to ensure that anyone experiencing suspected haze-related health problems can access medical care, regardless of their place of residence or possession of a Jakarta identity card.
Don’t Just Target Those on the Ground
Meanwhile, the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (WALHI) has urged that law enforcement regarding forest and land fires should not merely target the individuals who set the fires on the ground.
WALHI’s Forest and Plantation Campaigner, Umi Ma’rufah, stated that investigations must explore the potential involvement of corporations, negligence in the management of concessions, and the parties who ordered the fires or profited from them.
“Furthermore, alleged negligence by companies or supervisory authorities must be examined objectively to ensure that law enforcement serves as a deterrent, prevents recurring fires, and does not stop at the individuals on the ground,” she said, as quoted in a written statement on Monday (October 19).
Umi noted that in addressing forest and land fires, the division of authority among institutions must be accompanied by a clear accountability mechanism. Officials or agencies proven to have been negligent in carrying out their supervisory duties must be held accountable in accordance with the law.
Cross-sectoral responsibility for managing forest and land fires is, among other things, regulated through Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 3 of 2020 concerning the Management of Forest and Land Fires.
In this Presidential Instruction, the government outlines the distribution of tasks among various ministries, agencies, the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), the Indonesian National Police (Polri), and regional heads to strengthen prevention, firefighting efforts, and law enforcement related to forest and land fires.
The Presidential Instruction emphasizes the strengthening of prevention efforts and law enforcement in tackling forest and land fires. Its implementation requires coordination across institutions, spanning from the central government to regional governments throughout Indonesia.
According to these regulations, the ministers and heads of state institutions tasked with responsibilities related to handling forest and land fires include the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs; the Minister of Home Affairs; the Minister of Forestry; the Minister of Environment; the Minister of Foreign Affairs; the Minister of Finance; and the Head of the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas).
Also included are the Minister of Health; the Minister of Social Affairs; the Minister of Public Works; the Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas; the Minister of Transportation; the Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs; the Minister of Agriculture; the Minister of Villages and Development of Disadvantaged Regions; the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/Head of the National Land Agency; and the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises.
Furthermore, the list encompasses the Cabinet Secretary; the Attorney General; the Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI); the Chief of the Indonesian National Police; the Head of the National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB); the Head of the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG); the Head of the Geospatial Information Agency; the Head of the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space; the Head of the National Search and Rescue Agency; and the Head of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology.
At the regional level, governors serve as commanders of the forest and land fire task force for their respective provinces and are mandated to allocate budget funds for fire-handling efforts within their regional budgets (APBD).
Governors are also tasked with drafting regional regulations, imposing sanctions on businesses that violate established provisions, and reporting progress on fire-handling operations to the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of Environment and Forestry, and the BNPB.
Meanwhile, regents and mayors are responsible for leading forest and land fire response operations as commanders of the task force within their respective jurisdictions.
They are also required to ensure the availability of budget funds within their regional budgets (APBD), draft regional regulations, and impose sanctions on forestry and agricultural businesses that fail to meet their obligations regarding the management of forest and land fires in their respective areas.
