Peatlands naturally function as flood and drought controllers. However, as time goes by, land clearing as part of peatland use causes changes in land use and peat hydrology. Low water content in peatlands and prolonged dry seasons can trigger forest and land fires so that the fire will spread and be difficult to extinguish (Herawati et al. 2018).
In 2021, President Jokowi gave directions in the 2021 Forest and Land Fire Control Activities regarding priority efforts to prevent forest and land fires through early detection, monitoring hotspot-prone areas, and monitoring daily conditions in the field.
“In the Peat Hydrological Area (KHG) it is necessary to ensure that the peat water level is at a high position. “Make lots of reservoirs, make lots of canal blocks, make drilled wells and various other wetting techniques to keep peatlands wet,” he said.
The urgency of making drilled wells is very important because it is a tool for wetting land in forest areas which can be used by patrol teams and surrounding communities in a participatory manner to restore peatlands as access to nearby springs that can be used if forest and land fires occur.
KPSHK has also carried out several activities that facilitate communities around the forest to become more familiar with the importance of drilled wells, such as identifying existing drilled wells, training on drilled wells, and realizing the construction of drilled wells.
KPSHK drilled wells will be built at 10 points in each village forest. Several criteria that need to be considered when determining the location of a drilled well include historically fire-prone areas, the unavailability of sufficient surface water for the dry season, the water sources needed in the event of a fire, and limited access to mobilize conventional extinguishers (Wahyono et al. 2018 ).
According to Alfian as GIS Staff, based on surveys conducted by the patrol teams of each village, drilled wells in the Buntoi Village Forest have been built and are spread across 10 points, in the Kalawa Village Forest 5 points, in the Mantaren I Village Forest 3 points , and in the Gohong Village Forest, the process of constructing a drilled well will begin.
The drilled wells identified at several points scattered throughout each village forest are not only from KPSHK but have been created by previous projects, one of which belongs to the Central Kalimantan Peat Restoration Agency (BRG).
Based on the last survey in April for 1 day carried out by the Patrol Team of each village, for BRG drilled wells there were some that were still functioning and some that were not. There are 12 of the 23 drilled wells that are still active in Mantaren I Village, 19 of the 34 drilled wells in Gohong Village, 23 of the 31 drilled wells in the Kalawa Village Forest, and 16 of the 23 drilled wells in the Buntoi Village Forest. discovered during the survey that day.
Several factors possibly damage the drilled well, including problems during the initial construction of the drilled well, lack of maintenance or repair of the drilled well, sinking of sand or soil, pipes that caught fire due to forest and land fires.
Therefore, one of the efforts that needs to be taken to prevent forest and land fires is maintaining drilled wells. Maintenance of drilled wells can be done by periodically and routinely checking the pump, current strength, pump fan and cable connections. Apart from that, checks are also carried out on the power and quality of the electric current, as well as on the conducting pipes to determine the durability and suitability of the pipes in the drilled well. There is also a need for active involvement from the surrounding community, apart from the patrol team, to be aware of each other’s role in protecting the village forests they own.
Author: Humaira Nurulakmal
Editor: Aris
Source:
https://pamsimas.pu.go.id/konten/pustaka/materi/pemeliharaan-sumur-bor.pdf
https://ppid.menlhk.go.id/berita/siaran-pers/5830/presiden-instruksikan-pengendalian-karhutla-2021
Herawati, Henny, Aji AA, Dwi F, Azmeri. 2018. Water table evaluation post the construction of canal blocks on peatland in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Herawati H, Kartini, Akbar AA, Abdurrahman T. 2020. Socialization of Peatland Wetting Efforts by Participatory Drilling Well Construction. Journal of Progressive Community Service Vol 4 (1): 455-459 WahyonoS. C., Siregar S. S., WiantoT., & MinartoO. (2018). WELL DRILLING TECHNOLOGY WITH A FILLED PIPE SYSTEM TO REDUCE THE RISK OF PEATLAND FIRE AND REDUCE THE IMPACT OF CO2 EMISSIONS. Journal of Community Service (MEDITEG), 3(1). https://doi.org/10.34128/mediteg.v3i1.34
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