Indonesia seals four East Kalimantan firms amid fire investigation

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2 hours ago

Samarinda (ANTARA) – Deputy Environment Minister Diaz Faisal Malik Hendropriyono said the government has sealed off four companies in East Kalimantan as part of measures against forest and land fires, among 50 companies sealed across eight provinces.

“Across Indonesia, 50 companies have been sealed off in eight provinces. Four of them are in East Kalimantan,” Diaz said during a visit to the East Kalimantan Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) command post for forest and land fires in Samarinda on Monday.

The sealing is part of government oversight and management of burned concession areas. Of more than 200,000 hectares of land burned nationwide, approximately 84,646 hectares were located within concession areas belonging to 335 companies.

According to Diaz, prohibition signs have been placed at the sealed sites, meaning that no operational activities are permitted while fire management and investigations are underway.

The government is also collecting samples from the sites for laboratory analysis and gathering evidence to determine whether the companies were involved in the fires or committed environmental violations.

If the investigation confirms violations, the companies will face sanctions in accordance with applicable regulations.

“The magnitude of the sanctions will certainly depend on the investigation results and the extent of the environmental damage caused. It could reach Rp100 billion, Rp200 billion, or even Rp1 trillion, depending on the assessment and evidence,” he said.

In addition to monitoring companies, the Environment Ministry is urging local governments and relevant agencies to consolidate their forest and land fire data.

Diaz said a meeting held earlier that day at the East Kalimantan Governor’s Office revealed significant discrepancies in reported figures for the extent of burned areas.

Data from the Regional Military Command (Kodam) recorded approximately 3,042 hectares, while the East Kalimantan Regional Police (Polda) recorded around 2,223 hectares.

The SIPONGI system recorded about 2,715 hectares, while the East Kalimantan BPBD Operations Control Center reported 5,761 hectares covering both forest and plantation areas.

“One of the reasons for this discrepancy is that the data sources used come from different satellites – namely Terra, NOAA-20, and SNPP. We intend to follow up on the results of the meeting, as the public needs to know the actual extent of the fires,” he said.

According to Diaz, one proposal raised during the meeting was to use a single, consistent data source.

He noted that ASEAN uses NOAA-20 to monitor fires and smoke, an approach that could provide a lesson for Indonesia.

“Once the data is synchronized, the government will conduct ground checks, or field verification, to confirm that the locations detected by the satellites are indeed burning,” Diaz said.