Bandarlampung, Ekuatorial – Data from NOAA satellites which is monitoring the developments of hotspots in Sumatra, showed that up to August 23, 2015, 88 percent of fires occur in the plantation area. While the other 13 percent in the forest area.
According to the Head of the Natural Resources Agency of Lampung Province, Subakir, he already sent a letter to the company to stop burning activity in sugarcane plantation area. “Thousands of workers depend their life on the plantation companies. How can we prevent it,” he said.
Until August 23, 2015, the growth of hotspots in Lampung reached 104 points. This was lower than the same period in the previous year that reached 200 points.
Subakir said, the Ministry of Environment and Forests gave tolerance limit of 882 points for Lampung Province which has about 760 hectares of land. “Hopefully we do not reach the tolerance limit, unlike Riau.”
Meanwhile, a sugar cane businessman said that during the dry most of the laborers who worked to cut the harvest is poor people who cannot farm. “Sugar cane harvest by human must first be burned to clear leaves, then cut it. Indeed, there is a fire, but under control, “he said. Adding that the combustion is set by default, to prevent the fire from spreading to other locations.
According to him, if the government asked factories in Lampung to harvest with green harvesting system by engine, it is actually easy. “But can the government bear the tens of thousands of poor people who are unemployed during the drought?”. Eni Muslihah.