Singapore ready to help Indonesia tackle haze

Hetty Musfirah, Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 13 Sep 11;

SINGAPORE: Environment Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said Singapore is ready to assist Indonesia to cope with the forest fires and tackle the haze.

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a community event Tuesday.

"We have a team on standby to help with putting out fires or even with cloud seeding, as well as technical assistance. But really it depends on whether the Indonesians request or require our assistance. We'll just put ourselves on standby," said Dr Balakrishnan.

Singapore had written to Indonesia as early as last month to register its concerns on the transboundary haze situation arising from land and forest fires in Sumatra.

Dr Balakrishnan wrote to his Indonesian counterpart, Prof Dr Gusti Muhammad Hatta in August 2011 to register the concerns.

Dr Balakrishnan stressed the need for immediate measures to curb the haze.

He also reiterated Singapore's willingness to support Indonesia's efforts to combat the haze problem.

On Tuesday, Singapore Environment Ministry officials also raised concerns on the situation at the 22nd Meeting of ASEAN Senior Officials on the Environment, held in Brunei.

Other ASEAN countries similarly affected by the smoke haze, also highlighted concerns and stressed the importance of curbing land and forest fires in the region.

Noting that the hotspots count had remained high in the past weeks, member states were urged to be more vigilant during this dry season to prevent the haze situation from deteriorating further.

In Singapore, the 24-hr PSI at 4pm on Tuesday was 57 as compared to 62 at 4pm on Monday.

The 3-hour PSI at 9pm on Tuesday was 29.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said the improvement was due to a change in the direction of winds over Singapore overnight, from south-southwesterly to southeasterly.

Showers over some parts of southern Sumatra on Monday also helped to mitigate the hotspot situation slightly.

The number of hotspots detected in Sumatra over the past few days has also gone down - from 691 on Friday to 205 on Saturday and 204 on Sunday.

For the rest of this week, the winds are expected to continue blowing from the southeast and this will help keep the haze away from Singapore.

NEA said next week, the winds are forecast to blow mainly from the southeast and occasionally from the southwest.

Generally dry weather conditions can also be expected in Sumatra and Singapore could still be affected by haze for a few days.

Information on the hotspot and haze situation over the region is available here.

While there is no cause for concern, those with existing heart or respiratory ailments should reduce physical exertion and outdoor activity.

Persons who feel unwell are also advised to consult their doctors.

NEA will issue the relevant health advisories when air quality reaches unhealthy levels.

More information on health advisories can be found on the NEA website.

- CNA/cc

Singapore has offered to help Indonesia put out fires
Feng Zengkun Straits Times 14 Sep 11;

SINGAPORE has offered its help to Indonesia to put out land and forest fires causing a haze here which took a turn for the better yesterday.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said yesterday that his ministry also conveyed its concerns about the fires in Sumatra to its Indonesian counterpart last month.

'Several weeks ago, we knew we were going into the dry season... so I wrote to the Indonesian environment minister to offer our assistance,' he said during the launch of a book by local entertainer Kumar. This includes having a team on standby to help Indonesia put out the fires and to help with cloud-seeding, an artificial way of inducing rain.

'So far, Indonesia has not called on our help... but at this point in time, they seem to be taking whatever action they can on the ground,' Dr Balakrishnan said.

Farmers and logging companies in Indonesia clear land using fire between June and September, the region's dry season.

This has led to Singapore being affected by the haze since the weekend, with the daily average Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hitting 62 on Monday, the highest this year.

Air is unhealthy when the index crosses 100.

Conditions here improved yesterday with the average PSI falling to 57 due to a change in the direction of winds over Singapore, from south-south-westerly to south-easterly.

Showers over some parts of southern Sumatra have also helped.

However, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said the haze could return next week due to changes in the wind direction.

Doctors The Straits Times spoke to said more patients with respiratory problems such as asthma have turned up for medical attention in the past two days.

Healthway Medical reported a 20 per cent increase in children with respiratory problems at its paediatric clinics.

Doctors said the elderly and young children, who may be vulnerable to haze-related health issues, should refrain from exercising and seek treatment if they do not feel well.

Environment Ministry officials yesterday raised concerns about the haze problem at the 22nd Meeting of the Asean Senior Officials on the Environment, currently being held in Brunei.

Dr Balakrishnan noted that the haze issue would also be discussed at a meeting next week in Thailand, which will be attended by regional environment ministers.

He said his ministry would continue to work with the Indonesian government to solve the problem.

'We're doing our best to work with the local authorities to identify the hot spots and to persuade people not to burn the forest,' he added.

At least one airport in western Indonesia was shut down because of the haze. Reports said thick smoke forced the authorities to close Sultan Thaha airport in Sumatra's Jambi province.