Indonesia Investigates 19 Companies Suspected of Causing Forest Fires

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLH) of Indonesia has announced its intention to hold legally accountable 19 companies located in Sumatra and Kalimantan that are suspected of causing the current forest and land fires (karhutla) in the country. Twelve of these companies are concentrated on the island of Kalimantan. According to Irjen Pol Rizal Irawan, Deputy for Law Enforcement at the KLH, the total burned area from karhutla across Indonesia has reached approximately 11,046.69 hectares. He affirmed that law enforcement for karhutla cases will proceed through three pathways: administrative sanctions, environmental disputes or civil lawsuits, and criminal penalties. "Criminal cases will be handled by investigators from the National Police, starting from the provincial police, district police, and the National Police Headquarters," Rizal was quoted as saying in a press release from the Government Communication Agency (Bakom RI) received on Monday (31/8). From the same press release, the breakdown of the 12 companies suspected of causing karhutla in Kalimantan is as follows: Seven in West Kalimantan (Kalbar) with a total burned area of 2,260.08 hectares; three in South Kalimantan (Kalsel) with a total burned area of 6,595.15 hectares; and two in Central Kalimantan (Kalteng) with a total burned area of 99.40 hectares—one of which had an area of about five hectares burned. Meanwhile, on the island of Sumatra, Rizal detailed that there are four companies causing karhutla in South Sumatra (Sumsel) with a total burned area of 772.72 hectares, and one company in Lampung with a burned area of 202.73 hectares. Furthermore, Riau recorded one company with a burned area of approximately 7.10 hectares. "We are still conducting verification and in-depth investigations in the field for these 19 companies. What is certain is that there are burned areas within these 19 companies. We need to investigate whether the land was burned or intentionally set on fire. We must be able to distinguish whether these companies burned the land or if the land itself burned," he added. Overall, Rizal stated that his office has also recorded potential losses of around Rp 5.3 trillion from karhutla cases that have been identified since 2023 to 2025. He said that during that period, there were 32 unresolved cases. "For the period 2023 to 2025, there are a total of 32 unresolved cases, with potential environmental losses of Rp 5.30 trillion," said Rizal. For this year, Rizal mentioned that the KLH has taken supervisory actions against the 19 companies spread across seven provinces in Sumatra and Kalimantan from January to the present. These actions include the installation of supervision signs, sealing, and other measures carried out by Environmental Supervision Officials (PPLH). "Law enforcement efforts from January until yesterday have targeted 19 business entities in seven provinces. These are in 3 provinces in Sumatra and 4 provinces in Kalimantan. In West Kalimantan, we have installed supervision signs or seals on 7 business entities, as well as PPLH line actions," said Rizal, quoted from detikKalimantan. Although the status of the 19 companies in Sumatra and Kalimantan has not yet been determined, the KLH emphasizes that these companies still bear absolute responsibility. This, he said, is based on the fact that the burned land is part of the companies' concession areas. "Regardless of whether it was intentionally burned or naturally burned, when a fire occurs within a concession area, strict liability or absolute responsibility is attached to it. Therefore, the company will be held accountable, both through administrative sanctions and civil penalties," he stated. Source: CNN Indonesia