Singapore troops return home after fighting haze-causing fires in Indonesia

The Singapore team had been fighting forest fires, causing transboundary haze, in Indonesia’s Palembang for more than 10 days.
Channel NewsAsia 24 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE: The Singapore team helping to fight haze-causing fires in Indonesia returned Saturday afternoon (Oct 24) after more than 10 days in Palembang.

The return marks the completion of the Republic of Singapore Armed Force's two-week deployment, as requested by Indonesian authorities.

A total of 40 RSAF and Singapore Civil Defence Force troops were deployed on Oct 10. A Chinook helicopter with a 5,000-litre heli-bucket was also deployed. Over the two weeks, it had discharged more than 400,000 litres of water and extinguished more than 50 hotspots in Sumatra.

Said Deputy Head of the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management (BNPB) Mr Harmensyah at a farewell event in Palembang on Friday: “On behalf of the Government of Indonesia, and representing the Head of BNPB, I would like to express my sincere gratitude and deep appreciation for the contribution and hard work of the team and crew from Singapore who have worked hard for these last two weeks of the fire-fighting.”

Officers who spoke of the challenges faced in their mission said the situation in Palembang was quite bad.

"Upon landing, we could already feel the whole Palembang Airbase was already quite hazy," said Lt-Col Vincent Tan, the mission commander. "Understood that earlier that day then, it was above 1,000 the air quality index, AQI."

Added 2WO Vijaykumar, one of the aircrew specialists: "The underground heat was quite intense at times. We could actually feel the heat while we were setting up the bucket together with the SCDF and the rigging team."

In a Facebook post, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen thanked “our men and women who overcame difficult conditions on this mission to put out hotspots and help the surrounding villages”.

The Singapore deployment and a Chinook helicopter equipped with a heli-bucket sent to Palembang to fight forest fires. (Photo: Ng Eng Hen's Facebook page)

“The industrial scale of this disaster – millions of hectares burning – requires a systemic, deliberate and multi-prong response to be effective. There is no shortage of expertise, both regional and international – that can be brought to bear on how to prevent or put out such fires, if requested,” said Dr Ng. “Indonesian leaders have realised that what is key in preventing this environmental disaster from recurring is prevention and enforcement.

“Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs General (GEN) (Rtd) Luhut Pandjaitan had related to me how Indonesian President Joko Widodo stood at ground zero and saw for himself the flames bursting from the peatlands below. Once it started, the burning rapidly spread, fuelled by the highly combustible peat below.

“Defence Minister GEN Ryamizard Ryacudu shared how, many years ago as a ground commander in TNI, he had asked for high pressure water jets to soak the peatlands when his unit was tasked to help put out fires. President Jokowi has suggested pre-constructed irrigation tunnels that can flood the peatlands when needed. I applaud the President’s ideas and initiatives.”

Dr Ng added that the “commercial entities that own or use the land” must take responsibility.

“The commercial entities that benefit from the burning must be pressured to change, by law and penalties. These companies must put in place measures to prevent fires from starting, and if that fails, infrastructure to limit the burning,” said Dr Ng.

“The strongest motivation to deal with the haze for Indonesia must be a moral one – the health of hundreds of thousands of their own citizens are affected by this man-made disaster as they breathe in high levels of pollutants. These are strong reasons to act decisively.”

Australian and Malaysian troops had left Palembang on Oct 19 and 20 respectively.

- CNA/ek


Moral need to act decisively on haze, says Eng Hen
Francis Chan, Straits Times AsiaOne 25 Oct 15;

The strongest motivation to resolve this year's transboundary haze crisis - statistically proven to be the worst in a decade - must be a moral one, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen has said.

And those who own or use the land for commercial purposes must bear responsibility for the fires raging over them, Dr Ng added yesterday, as he welcomed the Singapore firefighting assistance team that returned home after a two-week mission to Indonesia.

"The haze has impacted the lives of millions of residents in our region in many ways. Schools have closed and the volume of business has dropped. Tourist arrivals will plummet if this becomes a chronic issue," Dr Ng wrote in a Facebook post.

"But to me, the strongest motivation to deal with the haze for Indonesia must be a moral one - the health of hundreds of thousands of their own citizens are affected by this man-made disaster as they breathe in high levels of pollutants. These are strong reasons to act decisively."

Yesterday, Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Pandjaitan told The Sunday Times that the government plans to claw back concessions in peatlands that have not been cultivated, to prevent companies from using the slash-and-burn method to clear land.

The move is seen as a strong indication that Indonesia believes peatland restoration must be the focus of any efforts to end the haze crisis.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency estimates that more than 43 million people in the country are breathing in the toxic fumes from the fires.

The haze has also hit Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines, forcing airports to delay or ground flights and schools to close as well.

The human costs, however, are the highest in Indonesia, where there have been unverified reports of more than 10 deaths, including babies, from lung infections.

Dr Ng said Indonesian leaders, including President Joko Widodo, have realised that what is key in preventing this environmental disaster from recurring is prevention and enforcement.

"I applaud the President's ideas and initiatives. The industrial scale of this disaster - millions of hectares burning - requires a systemic, deliberate and multi-prong response to be effective."

He added that there is no shortage of international expertise to help in the crisis.

On Oct 10, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) deployed three aircraft and a 34-strong team to Sumatra after Indonesia accepted Singapore's offer.

The SAF team was accompanied by a six-man Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

"The Indonesian authorities accepted help from various countries, including Singapore, to deal with the haze for an initial two-week period," said Dr Ng.

"With the two-week period concluded, our SAF and SCDF personnel returned home today.

"This is the worst haze situation to affect this region in a decade. Our deepest thanks to our men and women who overcame difficult conditions on this mission to put out hot spots and help the surrounding villages."


Singapore team returns from fighting haze-causing fires in Indonesia
AsiaOne 24 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE - The Singapore team deployed to help put out forest fires in Sumatra has returned after a two-week operation, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said in a statement today.

They were received at Paya Lebar Air Base at about 3.30pm by SCDF Commissioner Eric Yap.

The team, comprising personnel from the SCDF and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), left for Palembang on Oct 10. The SAF sent a Chinook equipped with a 5,000-litre heli bucket and two C-130 transport planes.

"The team operated under challenging conditions, with thick smoke and poor visibility. This deployment has validated the SCDF's operational readiness and preparedness. The experience gained will be invaluable for any future operations," the SCDF said.

Defence Minister Dr Ng Eng Hen posted a note of appreciation for the team on his Facebook page today.

"This is the worst haze situation to affect this region in a decade. Our deepest thanks to our men and women who overcame difficult conditions on this mission to put out hotspots and help the surrounding villages," he wrote.

He added that the Indonesian leaders have realised that prevention and enforcement are key in preventing this "environmental disaster" from recurring.

He also applauded the ideas and initiatives by Indonesian president Joko Widodo, who suggested pre-constructed irrigation tunnels that can flood the peatlands when needed.

"The industrial scale of this disaster - millions of hectares burning - requires a systemic, deliberate and multi-prong response to be effective. There is no shortage of expertise, both regional and international - that can be brought to bear on how to prevent or put out such fires, if requested," Dr Ng wrote.

Apart from Singapore, Australia, China, Malaysia, and Russia have stepped up to help Indonesia douse the fires responsible for the choking haze across the region. Yesterday, the haze spread to southern and central Philippines, about a week after it reached the country.

In Singapore, the 24-hour Pollutants Standard Index (PSI) remained in the very unhealthy range for most of today since 4am. At 9pm, the 24-hour PSI dropped to the unhealthy range at 159-198, down from the 8pm reading of 163-203. The three-hour PSI as of 9pm was 127.