Recommendation to Revoke the Licenses of Companies that Fail to Take Steps to Prevent Fires

Pengadilan Tindak Pidana Korupsi (Tipikor) menetapkan status hukum Gubernur nonaktif Jambi, Zumi Zola, dalam kasus suap dan gratifikasi. Dengan keputusan ini, pemerintahan provinsi Jambi akan dilanjutkan oleh pelaksana tugas gubernur saat ini. Pantau Gambut melihat bahwa meski pejabat gubernur telah berganti, Provinsi Jambi harus melanjutkan komitmen terkait restorasi gambut.

Majelis Hakim Pengadilan Tipikor memutuskan Zumi Zola bersalah dalam persidangan yang digelar pada Kamis 6 Desember 2018. Vonis bersalah ini meliputi hukuman 6 tahun penjara, denda Rp 500 juta subsider tiga bulan kurungan, dan pencabutan hak politik.

Berdasarkan Undang-Undang No.23 tahun 2014, jika kepala daerah terbukti melakukan korupsi dan telah ada keputusan pengadilan yang bersifat tetap, maka kepala daerah tersebut diberhentikan oleh Presiden. Wakil gubernur akan melaksanakan tugas sehari-hari gubernur sampai dilantiknya wakil gubernur sebagai gubernur.

Pada masa pemerintahannya, Zumi Zola mendukung perlindungan gambut dan pencegahan kebakaran hutan dan lahan (karhutla) yaitu dengan berkomitmen merekomendasikan pencabutan izin usaha perusahaan-perusahaan yang lalai ketika lahannya terbakar. Meskipun pencetus komitmen tidak lagi menjabat, Pantau Gambut melihat bahwa komitmen ini harus dilanjutkan gubernur yang akan menjabat selanjutnya dan seluruh instansi di tingkat pemerintahan Provinsi Jambi.

Provinsi Jambi merupakan salah satu target lokasi restorasi 2 juta hektar lahan gambut. Luasan gambut di Jambi yang menjadi target restorasi mencapai 151.663 hektar, di mana 99.775 hektar atau sekitar 65% diantaranya merupakan kawasan budidaya berizin. Oleh karena itu, pemerintah Jambi perlu turut aktif mendorong pelaksanaan restorasi di kawasan izin perusahaan.

Dengan perkembangan ini, Pantau Gambut menilai bahwa komitmen Zumi Zola tidak terlaksana. Perkembangan lanjutan dari upaya-upaya restorasi di provinsi ini akan diperbarui dan dianalisis di dalam kerangka komitmen besar restorasi 2 juta hektar yang menjadi fokus perhatian Pantau Gambut.

The Jambi provincial government, through Jambi Gubernatorial Decision Letter No. 656/2018, declared the area on high alert for a haze disaster due to forest and land fires as of 18 July 2018. This Decision Letter was issued by the Acting Governor of Jambi, Fachrori Umar.

This alert status designation is in line with Gubernatorial Regulation No. 31/2016 on technical guidelines for implementing Regional Regulation No. 2/2016 on forest and land fire prevention and control. Based on Regulation No. 31/2016, emergency alert statuses shall be declared when the following criteria are met:

1. The air temperature is at least 34° Celsius.
2. The Fire Danger Rating System (FDRS) rating is “prone”.
3. Haze reduces visibility to less than 2,000 meters.
4. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) rating is “dry”.
5. The Air Quality/Air Pollution Index is at least 101.
6. Satellite data shows hot spots.

The emergency alert will be escalated to emergency response if the criteria change into:

1. The air temperature is at least 34° Celsius.
2. The FDRS rating is “very prone”.
3. Haze reduces visibility to less than 1,000 meters.
4. The SPI rating is “very dry”.
5. The Air Quality/Air Pollution Index is at least 200.
6. Satellite data shows hot spots.
7. Fire spots are detected in at least two regencies.

Based on Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) data, there were 31 fire spots in Jambi on 17 July 2018. On the same day, there were 539 fire spots nationally in the seven priority restoration provinces. The latest data on hot spot locations in the seven peatland restoration priority provinces is displayed on Pantau Gambut’s Restoration Map.

Following the Jambi Gubernatorial Decision Letter, the Regional Agency for Disaster Response (BPDP) in Jambi submitted requests for water-bombing helicopters and heli-patrols to the central government.

Declaring a forest and land fire alert indicates that Regional Regulation No. 2/2016 is still being implemented, despite the change of leadership in Jambi. Since last April, the position of Jambi governor has been temporarily occupied by former Vice Governor Fachrori Umar. This is because elected Governor Zumi Zola is currently facing trial for bribery allegations. Jambi is one of the seven priority provinces targeted in the restoration of 2 million hectares of peatlands from 2016–2020. According to the plan, 151,663 hectares of Jambi peatlands, 99,775 of which is cultivation area, will be restored.

Through Gubernatorial Regulation No. 31/2016, the Jambi provincial government also stipulates facility and infrastructure standards for companies holding cultivation permits in this region. These standards include:

1. Availability of water sources or boreholes and pumping systems within a predefined area.
2. Availability of fire extinguishers, varying in number between the plantation and forestry sectors.
3. At least one fire watch tower in each permit area.
4. Trained firefighters on hand to respond to forest and land fires.
5. Creation of natural fire breaks separating permit areas from the surrounding area.

Jambi Gubernatorial Regulation No. 31/2016 is a continuation of Zumi Zola’s pledge to recommend permit revocation if companies fail to take action when their concession areas are burning. However, so far Pantau Gambut has not received any information indicating that permits have been revoked from companies that do not promptly extinguish forest and land fires in their areas. To date, Pantau Gambut has not seen the provincial government or acting governor evaluating burnt concession areas. The Jambi government needs to evaluate burnt areas within concessions as part of the implementation of its pledge to recommend permit revocation for companies that are negligent in responding to fires.

The Indonesian government, through the National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB), provided financial assistance of 4 billion rupiah (approximately US$295,836) to the Jambi provincial government for forest and land fire countermeasures. In response, Governor Zumi Zola explained, "There is no tolerance for land and forest fires. We suffered a loss of 12 trillion rupiah in just three months in 2015. We will not let this happen again.” Zola hopes that all stakeholders will use the funds to optimize the handling of forest and land fires in the province. Relevant stakeholders have since signed an MoU to distribute responsibilities and related tasks.

The massive destruction of peatlands due to industrial and commercial utilization as well as forest fires in 2015 prompted Jambi Governor Zumi Zola to commit to peatland protection and restoration. In an attempt to accelerate peat restoration, Zola signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Peat Restoration Agency (BRG) for cooperation in the implementation of peat restoration in Jambi Province. The governor emphasized that peat restoration activities in Jambi will focus on improving local economies by preserving natural resources for the welfare of the people. Moreover, Regional Regulation No. 10/2013 on the Jambi Province Spatial Plan for 2013–2033 reinforced the provincial government’s commitment to sustainable development.

The MoU is expected to serve as the foundation for the Jambi provincial government to draft an action plan for peat restoration and ensure all parties comply with peat restoration commitments. Due to the large size of the peatland area, which is approximately 900,000 hectares and spans three districts (Tanjung Jabung Timur, Tanjung Jabung Barat, and Muaro Jambi), sound management of peatland must be prioritized in Jambi. Some peatland areas have been cultivated for various purposes, such as green space, forest, agriculture, plantations, and industrial forest plantations. Therefore, Zola emphasized that successful peat restoration in Jambi would require commitment and cooperation from many parties, both public and private.

Jambi Provincial Governor Zumi Zola held a coordination meeting and released Gubernatorial Regulation No. 31/2016 providing Technical Guidance for the Implementation of Regional Regulation No. 2/2016 regarding Forest and Land Fire Prevention and Control. At the coordination meeting, the governor stated that these regulations reflect a commitment to forest and land fire prevention and control in Jambi Province.

Regional Regulation No. 2/2016 on Forest and Land Fire Prevention and Control was  issued on December 27, 2015 by the previous Jambi governor, Mr. H. Irman. As outlined in the Article 1, the regulation aims to facilitate coordination and create accountability in the prevention and control of forest and land fires. In addition, Article 31 states that the regional government has the authority to impose administrative sanctions against permit holders violating regulations related to the prevention and control of forest and land fires. Possible sanctions include a written warning, forced implementation by the government, as well as the freezing or revocation of environmental permits. Article 32 reiterates that permit holders are obliged to undertake environmental rehabilitation efforts, and failure to do so could result in criminal sanctions in addition to administrative sanctions.

The Jambi regional police chief welcomed the gubernatorial regulation. He stated that the police force has prepared approximately 1,500 personnel to perform early response in fire hotspots. In 2015, his team handled 23 forest and land fire cases spanning ​8,534 hectares of burnt land. Of these, cases have been legally processed against 14 perpetrators, 10 individuals and four corporations. In 2016, the police chief continued, his team followed up with 26 cases of forest and land fire violations. Twelve of these cases, all against individual perpetrators, have been legally processed.