SIAU MING EN Today Online 26 Sep 15;
SINGAPORE — Wielding the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act for the first time since it was passed last year, Singapore has served “preventive measure notices” on four Indonesian companies deemed responsible for the latest bout of haze, which hit hazardous levels today (Sept 25) and forced schools islandwide to shut down.
The notices require the firms to deploy fire-fighting personnel to extinguish or prevent the spread of any fire on land owned or occupied by them, and discontinue any burning activities on such land, among other things.
Today, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading peaked at 322 at 8am while the three-hour PSI reading hit a high of 341 at 5am. The air quality improved in the late morning to midday, before the three-hour PSI crept up again to 168 at 8pm. The 24-hour PSI is expected to remain in the “very unhealthy” range (201-300) today and may gradually fall to the high end of the “unhealthy” range (101-200).
The errant firms were identified today as PT Rimba Hutani Mas, PT Sebangun Bumi Andalas Wood Industries, PT Bumi Sriwijaya Sentosa and PT Wachyuni Mandira. Based on the National Environment Agency’s (NEA) investigations so far, they hold concessions to the lands where the fires may have originated and contributed to the haze here.
The NEA has also served notice on a fifth Indonesian company Asia Pulp & Paper Company - which has an office here - to provide information on its subsidiaries here and in Indonesia, as well as the measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia to put out fires in their concessions.
The Government is also examining ways to apply more economic pressure against errant companies, and reviewing its procurement practices to see how it can weed these companies, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan in a media briefing yesterday.
For example, the Government will look into how it can support companies which are recognised by their industry or by international bodies to have instituted sustainable practices. “As far as possible, this would take into account the practices of their suppliers further down the supply chain to ensure that they meet social and environmental standards,” the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) said.
Dr Balakrishnan described the haze as a “serious man-made recurring problem” that has “gone on for far too long”. “This cannot be tolerated,” he said.
Adding that the Government has been in constant contact with its Indonesian counterparts, Dr Balakrishnan said the NEA has been gathering information through the close monitoring of hotspots and smoke plumes from fires in the region, drawing on information from sources such as maps, meteorological data and satellite imagery.
Under the Act, haze pollution is stipulated as occasions where the 24-hour PSI remain above 100 for at least 24 hours. Since Sept 10, there have been four such episodes. The first breach of the Act on Sept 10 lasted 41 hours, and the second on Sept 12 lasted 109 hours, The third on Sept 19 went on for 33 hours. The latest breach began on Tuesday, and is still ongoing - having lasted for more than 72 hours so far.
Dr Balakrishnan said the NEA had sent Indonesia the coordinates of the hotspots that were detected over Sumatra, and requested that the Indonesian authorities analyse the coordinates and share the names of the companies that hold concessions in these areas.
Responding to sceptism towards the Act’s effectiveness, Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore is “certainly in a better position now than in the past where we didn’t have any levers at all”. He reiterated that for companies that are causing haze in Singapore, they “now have to be very careful” if they have any dealings or presence here. “I will not say this is a panacea... but there must be no doubt in the minds of the owners and the key executives of these companies that greater transparency and liability if going to be attached to actions of errant companies,” he said.
Meanwhile, Indonesia’s Vice-President Jusuf Kalla has again claimed that Indonesia need not apologise to neighbouring countries over the transboundary haze problem. He was quoted as saying on Indonesian news site kompas.com during a dialogue session with Indonesians in New York at the Indonesian Consulate-General yesterday: “Look at how long they have enjoyed fresh air from our green environment and forests when there were no fires. Could be months. Are they grateful? But when forest fires occur, a month at the most, haze pollutes their regions. So why should there be an apology?”
Yesterday, Foreign Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam had sharp words for the Indonesian authorities in a Facebook post, describing the comments made by some senior officials as “shocking” and “with a complete disregard for our people, and their own”.
NEA sends notice to 4 Indonesian firms with suspected links to fires
From NEA investigations, haze-causing fires may have occurred on land concessions held by four Indonesian companies. It has served notice to another Indonesian company with an office in Singapore seeking information on its subsidiaries.
Xabryna Kek Channel NewsAsia 25 Sep 15;
SINGAPORE: Hazy conditions in the Very Unhealthy range are expected to persist through Saturday (Sep 26), said the National Environment Agency (NEA).
In a media briefing, NEA said that at 5am on Friday, the reading on the 3-hour Pollutants Standard Index (PSI) hit a high of 341 this year, before dipping to below 100 for a few hours in the afternoon. The 24-hour PSI also hit a high of 322 at 8am.
SCHOOLS TO REOPEN ON MONDAY (SEP 28) UNLESS AIR QUALITY REACHES HAZARDOUS LEVEL
The Ministry of Education (MOE) ordered all primary and secondary schools to close on Friday after haze levels reached Hazardous levels on Thursday.
NEA said that as of 10.30am on Friday, about 3,300 students reported to school, which is less than 1 per cent of the total primary and secondary school cohort. As of 4pm, about 30 students reported to the ten MOE kindergartens, which is about three per cent of the total cohort.
About 98 per cent of childcare centres received children, added NEA, as these "cater to working parents who may not have alternative arrangements".
All primary and secondary schools will reopen on Monday, unless NEA's 24-hour PSI forecast issued on Sunday (Sep 27) evening indicates that the air quality could be at the Hazardous level.
Should there be school closures, MOE will issue a press release and parents will be informed through schools on Sunday.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said that the haze is a man-made problem which has gone on for too long.
"It cannot be tolerated. It has caused major impact on the health, society and economy of our region," said Dr Balakrishnan. "Just yesterday we had to close our primary and secondary schools. The last time we had to take this measure was in 2003 during the SARS episode."
He added that the Singapore Government has been in "constant contact" with Indonesian officials and commended Indonesia on their efforts in fighting the fires.
Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Minister for Foreign Affairs K Shanmugam, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Dr Balakrishnan have all communicated directly with the Indonesian authorities on Sep 17, 18, 10, and 14 respectively.
"We have repeatedly offered our assistance, and asked for information on companies suspected to have caused the fires," he said.
TRANSBOUNDARY HAZE POLLUTION ACT IN EFFECT
NEA also said that the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014 (THPA) came into effect on Friday. The threshold for the act is the 24-hour PSI remaining at 101 or higher for 24 continuous hours or longer.
Since Sep 10, NEA said the haze pollution under THPA has occurred over four periods.
1. From 10am on Sep 10 to 2am on Sep 12: Continuous period of 41 hours;
2. From 8pm on Sep 12 to 8am on Sep 17: Continuous period of 109 hours;
3. From 1am on Sep 19 to 9am on Sep 20: Continuous period of 33 hours; and
4. From 5pm on Sep 22 and ongoing: Continuous period of 72 hours and still counting as of Sep 25, 5pm.
NEA is currently investigating and gathering evidence through ongoing monitoring of hotspots and smoke plumes from fires, and obtaining information from sources such as maps, meteorological data and satellite imagery. They can also ask the company to undertake preventive measures, discontinue or not start burning activities, and submit a plan of action to extinguish or prevent the spread of fire.
Dr Balakrishnan added that Indonesia has taken some positive measures. "They informed us that thousands of troops and some aircraft had been deployed to engage in fire-fighting efforts," he said. On Indonesia's Sumatra island, the license of a company has been revoked by the Environment and Forestry Ministry, and three companies that operate palm oil plantations have also been suspended.
So far, NEA has sent Preventative Measure Notices to four companies suspected of starting fires, and written to Indonesian officials for the names of errant companies. From its investigations, haze-causing fires may have occurred on land concessions held by four Indonesian companies. The companies are: PT Rimba Hutani Mas, PT Sebangun Bumi Andalas Wood Industries, PT Bumi Sriwijaya Sentosa and PT Wachyuni Mandira.
In addition, NEA has served notice to Asia Pulp and Paper Company, an Indonesian company with an office in Singapore, seeking information on its subsidiaries in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia to put out fires in their concessions.
The maximum fine for companies found guilty of starting fires is S$100,000 per day, capped at S$2 million in total.
"We will share our results with the public whenever possible," said Dr Balakrishnan. "The Government will also review our procurement practices to see how we can weed out errant companies. We will therefore expect companies to be transparent about their supply chains, particularly those involved in the palm oil and forestry sectors. Ultimately, errant companies must know there must be a price to be paid for damaging our health, the environment and economy."
- CNA/wl
Singapore presses Asia Pulp & Paper for information on forest fires
Reuters 25 Sep 15;
Singapore has called on Asia Pulp & Paper Co Ltd (APP) to check whether its subsidiaries and suppliers have any connection with the recent forest fires in Indonesia, which have caused a thick smog to envelop the city state.
Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) also said in a statement that it has separately sent notices to four other Indonesian companies, accusing them of contributing to the pollution.
Unlisted APP, a member of Indonesia's Sinar Mas group, is a major supplier of paper, pulp and packaging in Asia.
A spokeswoman for APP in Jakarta said it has not received a notice from Singapore to date.
The announcement came after Singapore shut primary and secondary schools on Friday as worsening pollution caused air the quality to deteriorate to what the authorities said were very unhealthy levels.
Southeast Asia has suffered for years from annual bouts of smog caused by slash-and-burn practices in Indonesia's Sumatra and Kalimantan islands, but governments in the region have failed to address the problem.
The fires have been exacerbated this year by the effects of the El Nino weather phenomenon, as a prolonged dry season in Indonesia has parched the top soil, fuelling the flames.
NEA said the government is currently examining how to apply more economic pressure against errant companies.
"Ultimately, errant companies must know that there is a price to be paid for damaging our health, environment and economy," the statement quoted Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan as saying.
Singapore passed a cross-border air pollution law last year that makes those who cause haze both criminally and civilly liable.
(Reporting by Saeed Azhar, with additional reporting by Nicholas Owen in Jakarta; Editing by Greg Mahlich)
S'pore clamps down on five firms over haze
Chang Ai-Lien and Audrey Tan, Straits Times AsiaOne 26 Sep 15;
In its toughest anti-haze measure yet, Singapore has begun legal action against five companies it believes are among the culprits behind Indonesia's polluting fires.
It has also slammed statements from Indonesian officials over the crisis that forced the Republic to close schools yesterday when air quality became hazardous.
Naming the firms for the first time yesterday, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan stressed that the haze was a man-made problem that should not be tolerated.
"Ultimately, errant companies must know that there is a price to be paid for damaging our health, environment and economy," he said.
Haze levels here peaked at a 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading of 267 to 322 at 8am yesterday. They improved slightly later but remained very unhealthy.
The three-hour PSI showed greater fluctuations - hitting 341 at 5am and dropping to 80 at 2pm, before rising again to 154 at 9pm.
Unhealthy haze pollution - when the 24-hour PSI is over 100 for at least 24 hours - has occurred four times since Sept 10.
The National Environment Agency (NEA), which has been gathering evidence by monitoring hot spots, smoke plumes, maps, meteorological data and satellite images, yesterday served Singapore-listed firm Asia Pulp and Paper a legal notice to supply information on its subsidiaries in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia to put out fires in their concessions.
Four Indonesian companies - Rimba Hutani Mas, Sebangun Bumi Andalas Wood Industries, Bumi Sriwijaya Sentosa and Wachyuni Mandira - have been told to take measures to extinguish fires on their land, not to start new ones, and submit action plans on how they will prevent future fires.
Under Singapore's Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, those guilty can be fined up to $100,000 a day, capped at $2 million, for causing unhealthy haze.
Dr Balakrishnan said Singapore will put economic pressure on errant firms. The Government is looking at how to support those with sustainable practices down the supply chain, particularly those in the palm oil and forestry sectors.
The results of the NEA's ongoing investigations will also be made public.
Government leaders here, including Law and Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam, spoke out against comments from Indonesian officials.
Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla, for instance, has repeatedly said Indonesia need not apologise to its neighbours over the haze.
Singapore has offered to help fight the haze-causing fires five times, an offer Indonesia has yet to take up.
Primary, secondary schools to reopen Monday unless haze back to hazardous levels
Shea Driscoll, Audrey Tan, Yeo Sam Jo, Straits Times AsiaOne 26 Sep 15;
SINGAPORE - Primary and secondary schools will reopen on Monday (Sept 28) unless the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) forecast on Sunday indicates that a hazardous level of haze is expected.
If so, the Ministry of Education will consider closing schools again, it announced in a multi-agency haze briefing on Friday (Sept 25) evening. Parents will be informed through the schools if that happens.
About 3,300 students - less than 1 per cent of the total primary and secondary school cohort - reported to school on Friday morning despite the late announcement yesterday evening to shut schools.
The Education Ministry, in consultation with the Health Ministry, made the decision to close schools just before 8.30pm on Thursday, based on the National Environment Agency's (NEA) 7pm forecast.
Students who went to school today were held indoor areas like libraries and computer labs, and took part in self-directed learning and group activities.
About 30 children reported to the 10 MOE kindergartens, 3 per cent of the total cohort.
At other kindergartens and childcare centres, lessons and programmes were scaled down. Kindergarten attendance was largely low. Fifty per cent of kindergartens saw no children attending.
On the other hand, 98 per cent of childcare centres received children but in reduced numbers.
At the briefing, Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said the Government will be reviewing its sustainable procurement policy to weed out errant companies, and look into supporting firms that are recognised for their sustainable practices.
He said: "As far as possible, this will take into account the practices of their suppliers and their logistics chain to make sure they meet both social and environment standards."
Dr Balakrishnan added: "Companies trying to do business in Singapore now have to be very careful as we are investigating, demanding transparency."
Dr Balakrishnan also identified four Indonesian companies that are suspected to have links to the fires that are causing the haze. They are: PT Rimba Hutani Mas, PT Sebangun Bumi Andalas Wood Industries, PT Bumi Sriwijaya Sentosa and PT Wachyuni Mandira. He said these firms have been issued a notice, requesting them to deploy measures including sending firefighting personal to extinguish fires and discontinuing any burning activities.
The NEA has served one Singapore company, Asia Pulp & Paper Company Ltd, a notice under Section 10 of the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act seeking information on its subsidiaries in Singapore and Indonesia, and fire-fighting measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia.
The authorities said hazy conditions are expected to persist for the rest of Friday and on Saturday (Sept 26) as prevailing winds blow in from the south or south-east.
The 24-hour PSI for the 24 hours is expected to remain in the very unhealthy range and may gradually fall to the high end of the unhealthy range.
Improvements in the situation can be expected over the weekend, but hazy conditions are likely to persist.
Singapore moves against Indonesian firms over haze
AFP Yahoo News 26 Sep 15;
Singapore has launched legal action that could lead to massive fines against Indonesian companies blamed for farm and plantation fires spewing unhealthy levels of air pollution over the city-state.
Five Indonesian companies including multinational Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) have been served with legal notices, according to a Singapore government statement issued late Friday.
The move followed a bitter diplomatic spat over Indonesia's failure to stop a severe outbreak of smoky haze which has also affected Malaysia and persisted for years.
APP, part of Indonesia's Sinar Mas conglomerate, is one of the world's largest pulp and paper groups and publicly upholds "sustainability" and forest conservation as core principles. Its products include stationery and toilet paper.
APP was asked by Singapore's National Environment Agency to supply information on its subsidiaries operating in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as measures taken by its suppliers in Indonesia to put out fires in their concessions.
The group, which has paper mills in Indonesia and China, did not immediately reply when asked by AFP for comment.
Under a 2014 law called the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, Singapore can impose a fine of Sg$100,000 ($70,000) for each day that a local or foreign company contributes to unhealthy levels of haze pollution in Singapore, subject to a maximum total of Sg$2.0 million.
Singapore is located near Indonesia's vast Sumatra island, where fires have traditionally been set off by farmers and plantations to clear land for cultivation.
Four other Indonesian companies -- Rimba Hutani Mas, Sebangun Bumi Andalas Wood Industries, Bumi Sriwijaya Sentosa and Wachyuni Mandira -- have been told to take measures to extinguish fires on their land, refrain from starting new ones, and submit action plans to prevent future fires.
Sinar Mas is also involved in palm oil production, an industry widely blamed for forest fires in Indonesia.
In its statement issued Friday, the Singapore government said it was "examining how to apply more economic pressure against errant companies," including a review of its own procurement policies.
Singapore's Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan said the haze problem has lasted "for far too long".
"This is not a natural disaster. Haze is a man-made problem that should not be tolerated. It has caused major impact on the health, society and economy of our region," he said in the statement.
Singapore declared emergency shutdowns of elementary and high schools on Friday after the air pollutant index hit "hazardous" levels.
It eased to "moderate" levels on Saturday but a shift in wind direction can quickly change the situation.
The current haze outbreak is the worst since mid-2013. The recurring crisis grips Southeast Asia nearly every year during the dry season.
Singapore officials have reacted with outrage to Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla's comments that Indonesia's neighbours should be grateful for good air quality most of the year, and that Jakarta need not apologise for the crisis.
Indonesia has previously said that Singapore-based companies were among those responsible for the blazes.
About 3,000 troops and police have been sent to Sumatra to fight the fires, with Indonesian authorities saying last week that it would take a month to bring them under control.
