Being babbling to write a blog, maybe today is a good time to start.
Day 60
Today marked the 60th
day for me in Pekan Baru. The past 2 days was a real challenge for me
which can says an experience of a lifetime. It was Saturday which was
plan to hold an executive meeting will all the Asst. & Managers.
Everything was well planned with everyone being informed for the meeting
at 11 am. Basically Indonesian punctuality is always not up to mark
where we need to rewind and rewind to them. Just as I was preparing the
meeting notes, one the staff told me Div 2 caught fire and the Manager
is there to supervise and he won’t be attending the meeting. Shortly 10
minutes, my GM called and asked me to help to supervise the forest fire
in another div KKPA which he worry it will be out of control. WOW… my
first forest fire experience. Since the GM sound so serious, I cancel
the meeting and straight went to see the manager at the fire spot. Well,
wasn’t that bad… maybe about 8 palms affected and worker is putting it
off using a pail. Since I was given the responsibility of the other Div,
the GM agrees for me to buy some water pump to contain the fire. As of 2
pm, everything is ready, the water pump, the workers and my Asst Rudy
to assist me. Just as I reach the burning site, OK…..looks a bit
different from the morning fire, this is riparian forest fire and is
much bigger about 4 ha. Everyone was busy downloading the pump and start
spraying the fire. WOW… My first experience….deep in my heart
everywhere is fire & I was wondering where should we start. In lack
of confidence in making decision, I just keep quiet and watch they
operate. There was tons of question in mind……1. The area caught fire was
like 4 HA, and we only have like 2 water pumps and the maximum length
the hose can go is only like 150 m. 2. Where should we start ? 3. The
only water source is the boundary drain 3. Nice of my company to take charge of
taking care riparian zone despite most of the area is not belong to
us….. The last question I have in mind was everyone was blaming the
small holder for the fire. Since this is a riparian zone and I couldn’t
do much except supervision, I thought it will be nice to have a look at
the most end of the river Kampar where the worker claimed about 2 - 3
km away. As I walked along a very narrow bund created from desilting
drain by my company there are various small holder along the bund. The first
small holder I saw was a bit pity, they were poor and they are trying
their best to spray water using a 3/4in power spray which only small
amount of water compare to our company 2.5 in. fire hose. Deep inside I was
quite pity but soon doze off after they try their luck and ask one of my
Asst whether my company will compensate their loses. The Asst calmly explain,
we the company are helping and furthermore this is not our land. The bund road
was getting narrow and narrower, with multiple bridge to pass through
(where we really need an acrobatic skill to pass the ¾ in plank). I
reached the 2nd plot of small holder and lastly the third
which lead to a dead end of Kampar river. As I walk back, a lot of
things start to get into my senses of all this burning issue around my
whole estate. The small holder here are all hardcore poor people, to
re-cap the 3rd small holder plot beside Kampar river, their
FFB is ferry out manually 1 by 1 about 3 km to my estate road. Just
imagine if you have like 100 bunches you would have to walk 50X in and
out. That’s about 150 km but of course they have a bike which can
carries about 5 bunches a trip winding through the acrobatic plank and
narrow bund (but it’s still 150km trip). So WHY do they burned…..Frankly
Indonesia might be a 3rd world country but some of their
development plan is quite good. By my company developing the 10000 ha land,
which actually bring a huge prosperous to people here. WHY ? All small
holder will favor to quickly grab a land beside my company agriculture
development because there is already a free access for them to transport
their crop out, so whenever the dry spell come, my company land is like a
burning pot, the whole surrounding land encircling my company estate will be on
fire as more and more people wants to open land. Since they are
hardcore poor and most of them are not civic exposed, burning the land
will be the fastest and cheapest way and due to lack of awareness and
the fire normally went out of control. For the villagers is “life goes
on” and the question is always about leaping out from the circle of
hardcore poor or taking care of the environment. Anyway the day ended
fruitful with fire still burning and can see red flame patches of old
burning log and smoke as we drive back at night.
Today
is Sunday. Wake up earlier to make sure today will be a better day.
Since it was agreed with the worker they will start the fire fighting by
7 am. As I was still not very familiar with the road while I was
driving turning here and there, I remembered the fire was out of the
estate near to riparian zone. Therefore if I drive along the estate
boundary, I will definitely reach the hot spot. To my horror, yesterday
first fire spot was 8 palms in my estate, then 2nd spot about
4 ha riparian, Today I seen kilometers & kilometers of burned grass
and mixed secondary forest land along the bunds, it was SO HUGE area
being burned till I reached the yesterday spot. No workers arrived yet,
as usual punctuality is always an issue here. Heart ache further when I
saw “The Last of the Mohican” of the left over small green patch of
forest we try to save yesterday and all the monkey were migrating to
this very small green patch. As the worker arrived, the first
instruction down was to save this last small patch of forest.
As
I was walking around, it is a very sad day to see the animal force into
a last corner; what can we do more with a merely 2 - 3 water pumps
against kilometers & kilometers of burned patch along my company estate and
we could we do more so my wife, family, my dog and friends will not suffer in the other side of the country.
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