Indonesia, a major haze-producing country, claims to be better prepared for the next intense dry season, expected to start in June this year. Indonesia’s confidence is linked to major land reforms undertaken in the aftermath of the 2015 haze crisis.In 2016, President Joko Widodo introduced a moratorium on burning, draining and deforesting 4.9 million hectares of peatlands, amending a 2014 regulation.The primary source of transboundary haze comes from biomass burning in peat swamps.
When companies with global operations build dams upstream of communities, they often expose neighbouring peatland communities to harsher seasonal variations in the form of droughts and floods. A worker sprays water in an attempt to contain a wildfire that razes through a peatland field in Pedamaran, south Sumatra, Indonesia.
Overlooking the underlying problem of water sharing will exacerbate existing tensions between companies and communities. If water-sharing arrangements cannot be fairly resolved, the use of fire as a weapon to express grievances is likely to contribute to future episodes of transboundary haze.
Before and during burning in the late wet season, farmers knew that they needed to remain mindful of wind strength and direction to minimise the chance of uncontrolled flames. By targeting peatland communities, Indonesia’s current anti-haze legislation is missing the root cause of the problem, which rests heavily on unequal water-sharing arrangements.
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