Stop Forest and Land Fires, Ensure Energy Access, Protect Communities
Civil society organisations from Sulawesi and Papua express deep concern over forest and land fires and the resulting haze, which threaten the health, safety, and livelihoods of communities in several parts of Indonesia, including Sulawesi and Papua. Local fires and cross-regional haze pollution constitute an ecological crisis that demands immediate, coordinated, measurable, and sustained government action. The government must no longer respond reactively, slowly, or by shifting responsibility. Fire control and community protection must be carried out simultaneously, based on monitoring of fire locations, haze distribution, and air quality, while taking into account changing conditions across regions. Any negligence, delays, or failures in responding to the crisis must be openly evaluated and held accountable to the public.
Clean air is a fundamental right of citizens, and protecting it is the state’s obligation.
Exposure to haze increases the risk of health problems and can disrupt mobility, education, employment, and people’s incomes. Children, pregnant women, older persons, and people with respiratory conditions and chronic illnesses require special attention. Meanwhile, persons with disabilities may face additional barriers in accessing information, transportation, evacuation, and healthcare services. Outdoor workers, farmers, fishers, small-scale traders, and communities whose livelihoods depend on outdoor activities must not be forced to choose between exposure to hazardous smoke and losing their income. Communities that are not responsible for causing the fires must not be left to bear the burden alone. Economic and political interests must never take precedence over public safety and environmental sustainability.
At the same time, difficulties in accessing fuel and LPG in several areas of Sulawesi and Papua reveal serious energy access challenges that require urgent attention. Reports of LPG shortages in Makassar and fuel queues in West Papua demonstrate that energy availability must be assessed not merely in terms of supply, but also in terms of people’s actual ability to obtain it. Monitoring by the West Papua Ombudsman on 20 October 2026 recorded queuing problems, particularly for Biosolar (subsidised diesel fuel), despite overall stock levels being described as relatively secure. Therefore, the government must distinguish between supply shortages, distribution delays, allocation discrepancies, and service barriers based on evidence from each region. Statements that stocks are secure are insufficient when people still have to queue for long periods, visit multiple sales points, or incur additional costs to access energy.
In South Sulawesi, incidents in September 2026 demonstrated tangible disruptions to energy access. On 8 September, vehicle queues formed at fuel stations along Jalan Perintis Kemerdekaan in Makassar, extending into Maros Regency, while several fuel stations temporarily suspended services while awaiting supplies. On 10 September, the South Sulawesi Provincial Government reported findings by its task force, including suspected repeated refuelling, the use of modified fuel tanks, and barcode irregularities, alongside limitations in service personnel. These findings must be followed up through proper investigations; the causes of the queues must not be oversimplified as merely consumer behaviour.
Regarding subsidised 3-kilogram LPG, on 14 September 2026, the Makassar City Government requested additional supplies and an examination of distribution down to the retail level after receiving public complaints about shortages. On the same date, the Downstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency (BPH Migas) reported that fuel queues at several Makassar fuel stations had begun to ease following increased supplies, additional distribution fleets, and extended operating hours. These experiences demonstrate that improvements are possible. However, their success must be measured by the reliability of public access and the continuity of services, rather than temporary improvements or sufficient stock levels at distribution terminals alone.
Difficulties in accessing fuel can reduce the time available for small-scale fishers to go to sea, disrupt agricultural activities and the transportation of harvests, and reduce the incomes of drivers, daily workers, and micro-enterprise operators. Disruptions to goods transportation risk increasing the distribution costs of food and basic necessities, particularly in island regions, remote inland areas, and locations with limited transportation options. Meanwhile, LPG shortages can disrupt food businesses and agricultural processing activities, forcing business operators to reduce production, raise prices, or temporarily suspend operations. The time spent searching for energy represents lost working opportunities and income that are not necessarily reflected in supply reports.
For low-income households, rising energy and transportation costs can reduce their ability to meet nutritional, educational, and healthcare needs. Women, particularly women-headed households and home-based business operators, are at risk of bearing multiple burdens as they must secure fuel while maintaining household income and carrying out unpaid care work. Long queues and distant sales points can also create difficulties for older persons, pregnant women, persons with disabilities, and people with chronic illnesses. Purchasing mechanisms that depend on digital devices, documentation, or physical attendance must be accompanied by assistance to ensure that eligible residents do not lose access.
The social impacts can extend to delays in schooling and work, difficulties travelling to obtain medical treatment, and reduced time for caring for children, older persons, and family members with disabilities. Supply uncertainty and prolonged queues may also trigger social tensions. For healthcare services, clean water provision, and facilities dependent on generators, fuel disruptions can threaten the continuity of essential services. When LPG becomes difficult to obtain and households are forced to switch to firewood or other fuels that produce harmful emissions, indoor air pollution may increase, creating additional health risks, particularly for women and children.
Forest and land fires and difficulties in accessing energy can compound the burdens faced by the same households through smoke exposure, income losses, and rising living costs. However, the two issues must not be presented as having a causal relationship without supporting evidence. Government responses must protect communities from these overlapping impacts while strengthening an energy transition that is affordable, reliable, and responsive to local needs. A just transition must reduce community vulnerability, respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and meaningfully involve women, persons with disabilities, and low-income groups in decision-making.
Therefore, we demand and urge the following:
- Central and local governments must ensure tangible, equitable, and inclusive community protection. In addition to strengthening firefighting and controlling sources of haze, the government must provide accessible and easy-to-understand air quality information, accompanied by details on locations, timings, data sources, and monitoring limitations. Medical examinations, treatment, and referrals must be available with financial support to ensure that costs do not prevent people from receiving assistance. Protective facilities, clean-air shelters, and evacuation measures must be prepared based on risk assessments. Adjustments to school activities, workplaces, and public services must ensure the continuity of education, services, and worker protection. Data collection on impacts and needs must reach vulnerable groups, persons with disabilities, and communities in remote and island regions as the basis for service provision, socioeconomic support, and recovery. The government must also establish complaint channels with clear follow-up procedures and publicly disclose service facilities, access requirements, and financing mechanisms.
- Law enforcement must be firm, evidence-based, and non-discriminatory. The government and law enforcement agencies must investigate the causes of fires, examine land tenure and management status, and assess compliance with fire prevention and suppression obligations. Investigations must not stop at field-level perpetrators when evidence indicates the involvement or responsibility of corporations, licence holders, company management, financiers, or public officials. Criminal, civil, and administrative legal instruments must be applied in accordance with available evidence and applicable regulations, including environmental restoration and compensation where the legal grounds for liability are established. Case developments and the basis for every decision, including case dismissals, must be made publicly available while protecting witnesses, personal data, and the integrity of legal proceedings. Whistleblowers, environmental defenders, Indigenous Peoples, and local communities must be protected from intimidation and criminalisation for legitimate rights advocacy. Any alleged interference, obstruction of investigations, or abuse of authority must be followed up.
- Reform forest and land governance to prevent recurring fires. The government must evaluate policies, permits, concessions, and management practices that pose fire risks; strengthen the mapping of fire-prone areas and early warning systems; and ensure the readiness of personnel, fire-control equipment, and communities. Compliance monitoring of area managers and licence holders must be accompanied by the cessation of unlawful practices and administrative action, including permit suspension or revocation where violations are proven and meet the applicable legal requirements. Monitoring results, violations identified, and follow-up actions must be disclosed in accordance with public information transparency regulations. Indigenous Peoples, local communities, women, persons with disabilities, and civil society organisations must be meaningfully involved in fire prevention, monitoring, and ecosystem restoration. Forest and land fire prevention must become a permanent component of government planning and budgeting, as well as the obligations of area managers.
- Ensure the availability and affordability of fuel and LPG for communities. Central and local governments, together with Pertamina and relevant business entities, must map distribution disruptions according to energy type, location, demand, and affected groups; disclose supply information, distribution schedules, official prices, and service locations; and ensure distribution reaches island and remote inland areas. Additional supplies, allocation adjustments, and emergency distribution measures must be based on verified needs. The continuity of healthcare services, clean water provision, essential transportation, and the needs of eligible households and small businesses must be prioritised in accordance with the respective intended uses of energy and subsidies.
- Strengthen distribution oversight and ensure inclusive services. The government must monitor prices, volume accuracy, and subsidy distribution, and take action against hoarding, diversion, and irregularities where proven. Enforcement measures must not cut off community access or obstruct legitimate purchases for productive needs. Provide purchasing assistance, accessible queue management, and complaint channels with publicly announced follow-up deadlines. Administrative and digital barriers must be addressed through assistance services and alternative access mechanisms while maintaining accurate targeting of subsidies.
- Protect livelihoods and accelerate a just energy transition. The government must assess income losses and increases in the cost of basic necessities as the basis for social support and business recovery, according to needs and institutional mandates. Data collection must be disaggregated by sex, age, disability, livelihood, and region, while ensuring the protection of personal data. In the medium term, the government must expand access to clean energy for cooking and productive activities, as well as renewable energy for essential services, based on infrastructure readiness, affordability, safety, and maintenance support. Communities must not be forced to transition before viable and accessible alternatives are available.
All these demands must be realised through clear divisions of responsibility, adequate budgets, and measurable indicators of success that can be monitored by the public. The government must publish action plans and implementation reports regularly, using community experiences and complaints as the basis for evaluation. Success must be demonstrated through effective fire control, reduced smoke exposure, accessible services and energy at regulated prices, shorter queues and fewer livelihood disruptions, resolved complaints, progress in law enforcement, and environmental restoration and compensation for community losses in accordance with applicable regulations. Communities have the right to know the outcomes, obstacles, and follow-up actions taken.
From Sulawesi and Papua, we affirm that clean air and affordable energy are fundamental needs of the people. Stop forest and land fires. Ensure fair access to fuel and LPG. Protect livelihoods and vulnerable groups. Enforce the law without discrimination, restore the environment, and realise a just energy transition.
PWYP Indonesia
South Sulawesi:
YASMIB Sulawesi, AJI Makassar, LBH Makassar, WALHI South Sulawesi, SP Anging Mammiri, HWDI South Sulawesi
Southeast Sulawesi:
PUSPAHAM Southeast Sulawesi, LePMIL Southeast Sulawesi
Central Sulawesi:
KOMIU
Papua:
Bicara Foundation, PERDU
Working Group PWYP Indonesia – Regional Sulawesi-Papua