More communities have regrouped and formed proactive actions to prevent forest fires each day. One of which is located in Mentaya Seberang Village by the help of 4 women.

In 2015, massive fires broke out in the forests of Borneo, Sumatra, and Papua, leaving behind a total of 2,6 million hectares of charred land in its wake. During that time, Central Kalimantan was one of the regions that were most affected by the fires, with 584 thousand hectares its land succumbing to the forest fire at the time. As a result, both the ecosystem and the communities that live within it suffered a great loss. Since the advent of that tragedy, more communities have regrouped and formed proactive actions to prevent forest fires each day. One of which is located in Mentaya Seberang Village by the help of 4 women.

Murniah joined Mentaya Seberang Village’s Forest Fire Patrol since its formation in 2019 with the help of Katingan Mentaya Project (KMP). Now, the Forest Fire Patrol has a total of 32 patrols, including Murniah and 3 other women. “My soul was just called to action,” Murniah explained, “During the forest fires in 2015, many of the villagers’ land were burnt, including my own. It felt only right that our village has our own Forest Fire Patrol to prevent the next tragedy from happening.” Murniah has since been appointed as the treasury of the patrol while 3 of her friends have also joined; Dina, as secretary, alongside Jumiati and Siti who joined as patrols. “We joined voluntarily,” Murniah continued, “There was never any pressure, we just knew we wanted to help”. Patrols are done during the dry season for 4 months, usually starting from July, with the patrol team being divided into smaller groups. Each group consists of 3 to 4 people that patrols for 3 days at a time before switching to another group. Alongside KMP, the patrols also have a role in strategizing forest fire preventions and take part in increasing the village’s awareness towards their efforts.

Regardless of the difficulties along the way, the 4 women of Mentaya Seberang Village’s Forest Fire Patrol have not shied away from patrol work. “Each of us [women] usually patrol for 4 to 5 times each dry season along with our male peers,” Murniah explained, “We haven’t really found any significant difficulties other than the ones we find within the forest as a group.”

Furthermore, the Forest Fire Patrol offers a deserved compensation for its patrols who usually work 2 jobs at a time. Murniah and her husband, for example, also owns a shop selling basic household needs in the village. “In that sense, joining the Forest Fire Patrol has also helped us alleviate our needs,” Murniah said. In the end, when Murniah was asked whether she has felt the benefits of the Forest Fire Patrol, she simply answered, “Overall, I believe that the village is now much safer with its existence.”