BNPB identifies three firms suspected of burning land in Papua

BNPB Identifies Three Companies Suspected of Burning Land in South Papua

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Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has identified three companies suspected of deliberately burning land in South Papua, ANTARA News reported.

The identification comes after the agency used a specialized monitoring application to track fire hotspots in the region. These hotspots were linked to ongoing forest and land fires that have impacted the area.

Lt. Gen. Kristomei Sianturi, the chief of the BNPB, announced the findings during a press conference held at the Coordinating Ministry for Political and Security Affairs in Jakarta on Monday.

The agency has already moved to pass the data regarding these three companies to the local government for further action. This step is intended to initiate a formal verification process on the ground.

Keterangan Kepala BNPB Setelah Rakor Penanganan Karhutla dan Kekeringan di Provinsi Papua Selatan

“We need to conduct field checks and seek clarification on whether burning was used to clear land,” Kristomei said, according to reports from both ANTARA News and jawawa.id.

While the BNPB has obtained the names of the suspected firms through in-depth investigations following the initial hotspot detection, the agency has not released their identities to the public. When asked for specific details regarding which companies are under suspicion, Kristomei declined to elaborate.

BNPB Identifies Three Companies Suspected of Burning Land in South Papua
Photo: jawawa.id

The investigation aims to determine if the fires were an intentional part of land-clearing operations. This distinction is critical for determining legal liability and the severity of the environmental impact in the South Papua province.

The process involves local government officials conducting physical inspections to match the digital hotspot data with actual activity in the field. This verification will establish whether the fires were accidental or a calculated method of preparing land for use.

The scale of these suspected activities reflects a recurring challenge in managing Indonesia’s vast forest resources and preventing the environmental degradation associated with illegal land clearing.

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