Prabowo Shifts Peat Fire Strategy to Prevention Amid High Extinguishing Costs

JAKARTA - Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has shifted the focus of peat fire management from extinguishing to prevention due to the high costs involved. The President has called for strengthening preventive measures rather than continuing to focus on handling fires after they have grown widespread. Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, Budi Yulianto, stated on Thursday, September 24, that the issue was discussed with scientists and researchers at a meeting at the Presidential Palace Complex in Jakarta. He noted that almost all scientists present agreed that preventing peat fires is much cheaper than extinguishing fires that have already spread widely. "Almost all of these scientists agree that prevention is much better, much cheaper, and the impact will also be much minimized," said Budi. He explained that the characteristics of peatlands make the extinguishing process difficult, and operating costs can swell when handling is only carried out after the fire occurs. The President also evaluated the effectiveness of the handling patterns that have been carried out so far. "When handling fires is difficult and very expensive, we will see from there whether something cheaper can be prevented in the early stages," Budi mentioned. In response, the government has approved the proposal to establish a National Peat and Mangrove Management Agency. This agency is expected to strengthen prevention and improve the efficiency of budget utilization. "How to make the process more efficient to ultimately minimize the very expensive budget spent on the extinguishing process" will be the focus. The agency's budget has not yet been determined, but issues regarding its structure and financing will be further discussed by the government. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology will focus on ensuring that research results from universities are utilized by the government in managing and preventing peat fires. Source: VOI English