THE country has blamed peatland degradation by past food estates for its worst wildfire season in 11 years, and will work to restore its peat ecosystem, a senior official said.
“As a result of longstanding interventions, the peatlands in Central Kalimantan and South Sumatra have suffered serious degradation.
“Massive drainage efforts were carried out, fundamentally altering the natural properties of the peat,” said deputy food minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq, identifying a food estate project in the 1990s as one of the causes of degradation.
“Today, a large portion of these peatlands has been destroyed,” he said.
Peatland protection group Pantau Gambut estimated that out of 24 million hectares of Indonesian peatland, 16 million hectares have been made more fire-prone as a result of ecosystem damage, including extensive deforestation and the depletion of water tables.
A 2024 study conducted by Pantau Gambut showed that only 3% of the peatland damaged by fires over the 2015-2019 period has been restored into forest, while 54% was converted into monoculture plantations, mainly oil palm.
The government is aiming to drill wells to rewet peatlands and improve water canal management, Hanif said.
“It is quite simple, yet we have forgotten, neglected, or failed to carry it out,” he said.
Meanwhile, the anti-graft agency has arrested five people, including Bima Setyawan, the younger brother of the country’s disaster management chief, over alleged corruption involving emergency relief funds.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) detained the suspects on Wednesday, a day after carrying out raids in Jakarta and surrounding areas, over suspected irregularities in the procurement of goods and services at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).
KPK chairman Setyo Budiyanto said investigators were examining indications of collusion between agency officials and private companies over the disbursement and use of emergency funds.
“There are indications of arrangements being made, particularly over the disbursement and use of funds, some of which were misused by certain individuals for personal gain,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
The investigation centres on BNPB’s ready-to-use emergency funds, known locally as dana siap pakai, which are used to meet urgent needs during disasters, including buying essential supplies and services.
The agency has been allocated about 4.62 trillion rupiah (RM1.05bil) in such funds for 2026, according to The Jakarta Post.
The KPK has not said whether any money earmarked for tackling the ongoing forest fires was involved.
KPK investigators seized about 3.3 billion rupiah (RM750.4mil) in cash, as well as hundreds of grams of gold and cryptocurrency, during the operation, in which 14 people were initially taken in for questioning.
The KPK is investigating suspected conflicts of interest in procurement and other alleged corruption offences, including allegations that an official used his position to approach private suppliers and arrange procurement activities. — Reuters/The Straits Times/ANN
