Did the 2019 Fire Events in South Sumatra Occur Predominantly on Peatlands?

Abstract

The haze disaster in Indonesia is an anthropogenic disaster that recurs during the dry season. The current haze disaster is driven by a fire event that is divided into forest fires and peat fires. This study aim is identifying the fire events that have occurred in the South Sumatera region for the 1995-2019 period. The fire events that occur in the study area were analyzed using hotspot data during the observation period. Meanwhile, the peat distribution data is obtained from the Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry. To attain the research aim, the spatial analysis method using geographic information system technology was applied to the observation data. The results showed that the fire events in The South Sumatera were dominated by peat fires. During the observation period, approximately of all peat hydrological units in the study area experienced fires in varying intensity. Based on the result, until 2019 the fire events were recurring, especially in the peatlands of Sumatera. More precise and efficient needed to prevent and handle forest and land fires are needed.