WORLD FOCUS

Dams to quench Riau's slow burn, peatland restoration key in fight against forest fires

Peatland restoration is key in the fight against forest fires in Indonesian province

After devastating fires, efforts have been made to restore Indonesia's degraded peatlands.
A firefighting team at work in Riau province during this year's dry season. PHOTO: INDONESIA'S PEATLAND RESTORATION AGENCY
Children in Indonesia's Riau province trying to extinguish a peatland fire near their neighbourhood in October. Such fires are hard to douse as they can burn to a depth of 30m. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A firefighting team in Terkul village, Riau province. With the aid of Indonesia's Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) - which was set up in 2016 to restore carbon-rich peatland damaged by fires - the villagers have built 11 dams on community land since last year. ST PHOTO: LINDA YULISMAN
A dam set up in a drainage canal in Terkul village. Such dams help villagers put out fires faster by bringing water closer to the hot spots. Shortage of water was one of the key challenges that firefighting teams faced on the ground during blazes in 2013 and 2015. ST PHOTO: LINDA YU
Linda Yulisman Indonesia CorrespondentIn Dumai/Bengkalis (Riau)
Updated
Dec 17, 2019, 02:06 PM
Published
Dec 17, 2019, 05:00 AM
New: Gift this subscriber-only story to your friends and family

In Terkul village in Indonesia's Riau province, several men were busy piling up sacks of compacted soil on one side of a drainage canal under the scorching sun in mid-October, near the end of the dry season.

One by one, the sacks were used to fill a 3m by 2m wooden dam, built to retain the murky water inside the canal and raise the level of the water table to around 30cm to 40cm below ground level.

Already a subscriber? 

Read the full story and more at $9.90/month

Get exclusive reports and insights with more than 500 subscriber-only articles every month

ST One Digital

 $9.90/month

No contract

ST app access on 1 mobile device

Subscribe now

Unlock these benefits

  • All subscriber-only content on ST app and straitstimes.com

  • Easy access any time via ST app on 1 mobile device

  • E-paper with 2-week archive so you won't miss out on content that matters to you

Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on December 17, 2019, with the headline Dams to quench Riau's slow burn, peatland restoration key in fight against forest fires. Subscribe

Available for
iPhones and iPads
Available in
Google Play

MCI (P) 066/10/2023. Published by SPH Media Limited, Co. Regn. No. 202120748H. Copyright © 2024 SPH Media Limited. All rights reserved.

Back to the top