Ombudsman probes impact of wildfires on public services in 9 provinces

Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Ombudsman (Ombudsman RI) has deployed a field team to investigate how forest and land fires are affecting public services in nine provinces.

Ombudsman RI Commissioner Robert Na Endi Jaweng said the provinces represent four regional zones: Jambi and Bangka Belitung in western Indonesia; West Kalimantan and South Kalimantan in Kalimantan; Southeast Sulawesi, Gorontalo, and West Sulawesi in Sulawesi; and Maluku and North Maluku in eastern Indonesia.

“Our focus is to examine how public services are affected by forest and land fires. While extinguishing the fires is vital, ensuring public safety and the continuity of public services must also be top priorities,” Robert said at a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He explained that the investigation followed a month of preliminary monitoring of the fires’ impact on public services in the nine provinces.

The monitoring focused on protecting public safety and ensuring that affected communities’ basic needs were met. It also examined the wider effects of the fires, particularly disruptions to public service facilities and risks to public safety.

Two Ombudsman RI working units have been assigned to conduct the monitoring and investigation.

Unit III, led by Ombudsman RI Commissioner Fikri Yasin, is focusing on upstream issues, including forest management governance, regulatory frameworks, and the root causes of the fires. Unit IV, led by Robert, is examining downstream issues, including disaster response and the impact on public services.

“Initial monitoring involved the network of Ombudsman RI regional offices in areas affected by the fires,” Robert said.

Based on the preliminary monitoring and direct inspections of facilities such as health centers and schools during periods of hazardous smoke, the Ombudsman identified six key areas for further examination.

These include public health protection; safety and emergency preparedness; access to clean water and basic necessities; continuity of public services; availability of public information and complaint channels; and resource coordination and accountability in the response.

Following the initial monitoring, Ombudsman RI teams are scheduled to visit several accessible locations to verify conditions in the field and follow up on their findings within the scope of their authority.

Robert said the visits aim to provide a deeper understanding of structural and systemic problems.

“We believe that when an issue occurs in many places and happens repeatedly, it is no longer an isolated case, but a systemic one,” he added.

Related news: University of Indonesia urges action on fire-haze health risks

Translator: Laily Rahmawaty, Raka Adji
Editor: M Razi Rahman
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