HPAP: Kalimantan, Indonesia
Report
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Summary
In 2019, GAHP initiated the first provincial HPAP with the government of Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. The assessment and prioritization program and associated activities were made possible through financial support from the European Commission, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the Oak Foundation. The Central Kalimantan Health and Pollution Action Plan was created through a collaborative process that included leadership and technical inputs from the following Government Agencies and organizations:
- Yayasan Tambuhak Sinta
- Planning Board Agency
- Development and Research Agency
- Environment Agency
- Health Office
- Regional Disaster Management Agency
- Fire Department, Department of Energy and Mineral Resources
- Horticulture & Livestock Food Crops Service
- Plantation Office
- Forestry Service
- Manpower and Transmigration Office
- Women’s Empowerment for Protection of Children and Family Planning Service of Central Kalimantan
- Regional Disaster Management Agency
- Fire Department, Meteorological Climatology and Geophysics Agency of Palangkaraya
- Muhammadiyah University
- State Islamic Institute (IAIN)
- University of Palangka Raya
- Panarung Dayak Institution
- Pure Earth
Progress to Date
HPAP Completed in May 2020
Priority Issues & Results
1) Smoke pollution from forest and peat land fires
The handling of haze disasters in Indonesia, including Central Kalimantan, is still focused on disaster management, and does not maximize prevention of forest and peat land fires. The government can only issue funding if at least two districts issue a disaster emergency call, which means that smoke pollution builds up while waiting for a response. In the vast peat areas of Central Kalimantan, it is difficult to handle fires quickly. Going forward, the governments of Indonesia and the Central Kalimantan will issue policies to enable forest fire prevention programs. This should reduce the level of smoke pollution and health impacts in the community.
2) Mercury from Small Scale Gold Mining (ASGM)
Government at national level has issued various policies aimed at reducing and stopping the use of toxic mercury. The central government issued President Regulation no 21 in 2019, Concern on the National Action Plan Mercury Contamination Control, and now it is run as PPM (Mercury Control Management). Central Kalimantan government itself is currently preparing a Regional Action Plan (RAD), which later will be introduced at district and city level, especially in regions where ASGM is a major, community livelihood.
3) Pesticides from oil and palm plantations and agriculture
In the future, the Central Kalimantan government is expected to issue regional policies for managing the use of pesticides on plantations and in agriculture. This can be the basis for integrating the work plan in the Central Kalimantan RPJMD with the work plans of the relevant service agencies.
Next Steps
A high level of political commitment is needed to tackle the public health challenge of pollution in Kalimantan. Pollution priorities must be mainstreamed into decision-making in all relevant agencies and levels of government.
Bappedalitbang and YTS plan to advocate to legislative and executive parties the importance of paying attention to environmental issues, especially pollution, by using the HPAP documents as a reference in preparing the mission and vision statements of the new governor and deputy governor, as well as in developing the five years Regional Development Plan (RPJMD) for 2020 – 2025, based on the work plans of local government agencies and institutions. In following up on this research, we hope that Central Kalimantan will develop with environmental insights and reduction of negative health impacts from pollution.
