Amount of food waste in Singapore hits record high

Population growth, affluence behind 26% spike from 2007 to 2012: NEA
Walter Sim Straits Times 1 Jul 13;

FROM the factory right down to the dining table, more food is being dumped in Singapore.

A new record was set for food wastage last year as 703,200 tonnes were generated - a 26 per cent spike from the 558,900 tonnes produced in 2007.

This far outpaced the 15.8 per cent growth in the local population over the same period.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said that besides population growth, a rise in tourist arrivals and increasing affluence had contributed to the problem.

Mr Jose Raymond, executive director of the Singapore Environment Council, said the "ease of accessibility to food and increased food variety" could also have worsened the wastage.

The problem has permeated every link of the supply chain. In a statement to The Straits Times, the NEA noted that food wastage "is being produced in homes, as well as food manufacturing and catering industries, foodcourts, restaurants, supermarkets and hawker centres".

But the amount of food being recycled each year remains low.

Last year, only about 12 per cent of the total output in food waste was recycled, up 1.7 per cent from the previous year. This comprised mainly clean food waste like spent grains from beer brewing and bread waste, which are converted to animal feed.

The NEA said it is studying other recycling methods, taking into account cost-effectiveness, practicality and sustainability.

Through these methods, fertilisers and biogas - which can be used to generate electricity - can be produced.

For now, restaurants said it is difficult to track food wastage, though there have been efforts to minimise the problem. At WaWaWa Bistro and Shin-Sapporo Ramen, diners who are unable to finish their meals are encouraged to pack the food to take home.

Customers at Peach Garden restaurants are also advised against over-ordering, and at its buffet outlets, excessive food waste is chargeable.

But those in the catering business said they are in a quandary. They typically provide slightly more food for customers, just in case the amount is insufficient.

"We don't want a situation where there is not enough food," said Mr T.C. Ho, assistant director of sales and marketing at Peach Garden, which also provides catering services.

Meanwhile, most supermarkets here provide discounts on perishable items to clear stock.

Dairy Farm, which owns Giant and Cold Storage, also has an ordering guide and wastage monitoring system to track stock orders and wastage at each store daily.

Similar systems need to be adopted by other food-related businesses, said Mr Raymond.

"There is no legislation that addresses this issue and most companies either do not track or do not reveal the amount of food wastage generated in their premises," he said. "At times, a lot of wastage occurs even before the product reaches the consumer."

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Singapore-funded efforts to fight haze face challenges on ground

Zubaidah Nazeer Indonesia Correspondent In Jambi (Sumatra)
Straits Times 1 Jul 13;

TWO towers that monitor the air and weather stand as reminders of the commitment made by Singapore to help Indonesia curb the forest fires that cause the haze.

But the equipment, in Jambi and nearby Muaro Jambi regency, is no longer in use, The Straits Times learnt during a visit to the area last week.

Officials here said they stopped operating the two monitoring stations after the tape used to record data ran out some time last year and was not replenished. Singapore's Government donated the equipment to Indonesia in 2009.

The comments by Mr Asrofi, an official with Jambi's Environment Ministry, spoke volumes about the challenges faced by foreign-funded projects aimed at helping to curb the haze.

He said: "The station ran out of material for recording, which is very expensive to replace. Even if we did (have the recording material), we don't want to touch it because we fear we could damage the sensitive equipment."

What then of other projects that were identified for Jambi?

Singapore's efforts to encourage farmers in Jambi to turn to fisheries - so that they would be less likely to resort to burning to clear land for cultivation - do not appear to have worked.

There had been great hopes for an "aqua-culture" project, one of many environmental programmes initiated in Jambi under a two- year, $1 million collaboration that Singapore and Indonesia signed in late 2007.

But The Straits Times was unable to find any new fish farms in Jambi that were associated with the programme.

"There was much interest in this," said a spokesman for Singapore's Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) in an e-mailed response.

"But the aqua-culture project did not manage to take off due to lack of infrastructural support for the export of the produce."

Despite such glitches, data obtained from the Forestry and Environment Ministry in Jambi shows that the province has reduced the number of hot spots here by about 70 per cent since 2006.

Activists and experts attribute the significant drop to several factors. Chief among these is that residents in Jambi now have a greater awareness of the detrimental effects that slash-and-burn methods bring to them and their surroundings.

Indeed, in Muaro Jambi alone, the number of hot spots shrank to less than 10 per cent of what was recorded in 2006 - from 1,909 hot spots in 2006 to 189 in 2011.

This made it a model in Indonesia's battle against haze, say green campaigners. The regency - one of nine in Jambi - had been the main source of much of the burnings and the resulting haze in Singapore, Malaysia and other parts of the region.

In its official collaboration with Jambi, Singapore also focused on efforts to teach farmers zero-burning practices, and train local officials to interpret satellite pictures so that they could monitor hot spots.

In 2008, Singapore Delft Water Alliance, Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) and Jambi University also joined hands to organise two technical workshops and seminars to train local farmers about how to better manage the peatlands.

About 40 per cent of Jambi sits on peatland, one of the most fertile soils but also the most vulnerable to burning during scorching weather as the water in it evaporates.

Mr Husni Thamrin, founder of a forest conservation NGO called Pinang Sebatang, said: "Some of these residents have formed their own small communities to be on fire alert. There is certainly more awareness across villages there."

But the activist, whose non- governmental organisation has also formed a team of volunteers who help in fire alerts across villages in Muaro Jambi, suggests that Singapore should conduct follow-ups to its programmes.

"I have not heard of more programmes since the initial phase," he said. "If this is aimed at changing mindsets, such efforts cannot stop at just workshops or short programmes. There has to be a sustained commitment of several years for there to be meaningful impact."

Asked about this, the MEWR spokesman said the ministry was awaiting approval from the Indonesian government for the next phase of its collaborative project with Jambi.

The spokesman gave no details about potential new projects, but characterised the joint efforts to date as "successful".

With the region's environment ministers expected to meet in Kuala Lumpur on July 17 to discuss the haze situation, expectations are high.

Forest campaigner Rudi Syaf, founder of a respected forest conservation group in Jambi called Warsi, said such efforts were commendable. But he also said that any future environmental collaboration with Singapore or other countries should incorporate "a better understanding of how things actually work here".

"A masterplan from the (Singapore-Jambi) programme has remained largely a reference and not implemented," he explained.

"In Indonesia, expecting a change in laws or habits takes years as the system may not be as efficient as in Singapore."

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ASEAN ministers agree on trilateral process to task officials to look into haze issues

S Ramesh Channel NewsAsia 30 Jun 13;

BRUNEI: In a major step to resolve the transboundary haze problem, ASEAN's foreign ministers have agreed on a process to task officials from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia to examine what is happening on the ground and to report to the leaders in managing it.

Singapore’s Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said the details would have to be worked out on how this trilateral process will be implemented.

China's new foreign minister, Wang Yi, also met his 10 ASEAN counterparts as a grouping for the first time at the ASEAN-China Ministerial Dialogue.

In a significant move, China has agreed to start formal consultations on the South China Sea territorial dispute by September.

On Saturday, Mr Shanmugam, together with his counterparts from Malaysia and Indonesia, met to discuss the haze issue and to recommend to the grouping ways to tackle the problem.

Mr Shanmugam felt it was a very positive development as it gave ASEAN a framework to move ahead on the matter.

He said: "It focuses on the importance of putting out the fires, it focuses on the importance of monitoring, verifying and prevent recurrence in the future, it tasks the officials to look at the issues and report to the leaders on the sidelines of the ASEAN Ministerial Meetings, so a number of concrete steps that are recommended and have been agreed upon.

"The focus is in two broad terms - to put out the fires and also to try and prevent recurrence in future and what concrete steps can be taken. All these processes, whether trilateral, multilateral or ASEAN-wide, is an agreement that we will all work together. Sovereignty is an exercise of sovereign power within your own country but that doesn't preclude you from going out to say what you will do in the international arena, how you will cooperate with others. But of course that doesn't mean other countries can come into your country and do what they like."

In their joint communique at the close of the ASEAN ministerial meeting, the foreign ministers also emphasised the importance of implementing steps to overcome the haze problem and one way, they said, is to strengthen national and regional capacities. Also important is for regional countries to uphold their international obligations and work together to tackle the haze pollution problem.

They have called on countries which have yet to ratify and operationalise the ASEAN Agreement on Trans-boundary Haze pollution to do so expeditiously.

Mr Shanmugam said discussions on the South China Sea territorial dispute were positive.

He said: "We have had cooperative, consultative good meetings at the officials’ levels with China and I believe that will continue. What China has said to us is that it believes in peaceful co-existence in development and being partner in peace."

"If there is an increase in tension, if there is conflict, it is not in anybody's interests. It is not in ASEAN's interest, it is not in China's interest. China recognises it, ASEAN recognises it, other countries recognise it. And that is why we have been talking about the DOC (Declaration on Conduct) and the importance of starting negotiations on the COC (Code of Conduct)."

2013 marks the 10th anniversary of the ASEAN-China Strategic Partnership and ministers are looking forward to the formal consultations between ASEAN and China at the senior officials meeting level on the Code of Conduct.

- CNA/fa/xq

Asean reaffirms commitment to fight haze
Senior officials directed to consolidate initiatives, propose preventive steps
Leonard Lim In Bandar Seri Begawan Straits Times 1 Jul 13;

ASEAN yesterday showed its resolve to tackle the haze that has choked the region in recent weeks, by directing its senior officials to both consolidate current initiatives and recommend steps to prevent a recurrence.

A joint communique issued after the 10 foreign ministers met here also said there would be a progress report on these efforts to top leaders at the next Asean summit in October.

Asean also reaffirmed its commitment to establish effective monitoring, rapid response and firefighting systems. It called on countries which have not ratified a 2002 Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution - Indonesia is the only one - to do so "expeditiously".

The consensus was worked out by foreign ministers from Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia during an informal meeting last Saturday, and agreed to by the rest during yesterday's Asean Ministerial Meeting.

Last Saturday's meeting, which involved the three countries worst hit by the haze, took place at the suggestion of Singapore's Foreign Minister K. Shanmugam. He said the haze paragraph in the communique focuses on "the importance of putting out the fires, of monitoring, verifying to prevent recurrences in the future".

Details have yet to be worked out but Singapore has emphasised as recently as a week ago that the long-term solution is for Indonesian farmers to adopt a more sustainable method of clearing plantations.

While it may not be possible to totally stop poor farmers from slash-and-burn practices, Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong said on Facebook that it "should be easy" to prevent commercial plantation owners from doing so next year.

"With satellite technology, new laws if necessary, and political will, smoking guns can be identified, confiscated and made to pay if they are fired," he wrote, on a day when the Pollutant Standards Index in Singapore fell to its lowest level in a fortnight.

Separately, Mr Shanmugam said Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia had also agreed on a trilateral process where officials will look at what is happening on the ground and make recommendations on the way forward. These officials could come from the foreign affairs and environment ministries, and Indonesia's forestry ministry. The group will also give an update at the Asean summit.

Indonesia's Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said it was good to have an outcome that recognises the haze as an issue that must be addressed at the national level, and in synergy with regional efforts.

Asked if Singapore's objectives had been achieved, Mr Shanmugam said: "What you really want is for the entire region to be free of haze, and that will involve actions over a period of time."

The challenge would be in implementation but "I would say our views as to how Asean needs to deal with it have come true".

Meanwhile, a spokesman for Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency said the number of hot spots has fallen from a peak of 265 last Monday to one last Saturday.

ESM Goh also thanked Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono for showing will, graciousness and dignified statesmanship in dealing with the haze.

"This is appreciated, in contrast with the boorish remarks of some of his ministers," he added.

Additional reporting by Zubaidah Nazeer in Pekanbaru (Riau province)

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Indonesia: Air quality index in Riau improving

Antara 30 Jun 13

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Air quality index in Riau has continued to improve in line with the declining number of forest and land fires following fire fighting operations.

The head of public relations and information data center of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, said here on Sunday until the 10th day of operations to eradicate haze in Riau several indicators had shown a positive trend.

Based on the results of monitoring through NOAA satellites on June 22 the number of fires was still recorded at 92 while on June 24 it reached 265 but on June 29 only one was left over.

This has resulted in the improvement of air quality in the region and visibility, he said.

On June 20 he said the standard air pollution index in Duri reached 1,048 and in Dumai 688 signalling hazard.

But on June 29 it dropped to 98 SPI in Duri, 78 in Dumai, 59 in Singapore, 48 in Kuala Lumpur and 44 in Selangor, Malaysia.

SPI reading between 300 and 500 shows danger while from 50 to 100 mild effects and below 50 is good.

Sutopo said before operations began on June 21 average visibility was less than 100 meters but from June 26 to 30 it reached one to ten kilometers in several places in Riau.

Efforts to fight land and forest fires are still continuing including water bombing and artificial rain making, he said.

He called on all people to never again conduct burning to clear land as fire hazards remained high in the current dry season until October.

(H-YH/A014)

Editor: Jafar M Sidik

Sumatra and Region Breathe Easier as Rains Quell Smog
ID/Aris Cahyadi & ID/Ridho Syukra Jakarta Globe 30 Jun 13;

Whether due to firefighters’ efforts or simply a fortuitous dousing of Riau’s forest fires by rain, which fell last week, new figures show the pall of smog finally lifting from the province and surrounding areas.

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BNBP) data center chief and spokesperson Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said on Sunday that visibility levels had improved significantly in several areas of Riau, now up to between one to 10 kilometers from a murky 100 meters during the peak of the fires early last week.

“The air quality index has also shown an increase,” he said in a text message to BeritaSatu.

Early last week readings on the Pollutant Standards Index, or PSI, in the towns Duri and Dumai in northern Riau had reached 1,048 and 688, respectively.

On Sunday Sutopo said the PSI reading in Duri had now improved to 98, and 78 in Dumai. PSI readings of 300 or higher are categorized as “hazardous,” with anyone exposed possibly subject to “serious health effects,” while readings between 50 and 100 are termed “moderate” and considered to bring few or no health risks for the general public.

Neighboring countries have also enjoyed improving air quality, with pollution levels falling to 50 PSI in Singapore, 48 in Kuala Lumpur and 44 in Selangor.

Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister for the Economy Hatta Rajasa said the Riau fires would have no impact on the economic partnership and investments between Indonesia and Singapore, despite inflammatory public statements in a spat that seemingly risked ties between the two countries.“It is not true that the haze has caused a disruption in the partnership between Indonesia and Singapore,” he said in Jakarta on Saturday.

Hatta emphasized that the central government, the Riau regional administration and the National Police were jointly still investigating the fires, which had also affected Malaysia.

The minister said the ongoing investigations may lead to prosecutions.

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Malaysia: Finding treasures of 'lost world'

New Straits Times 1 Jul 13;

MALIAU BASIN FIELD SURVEY: Besides finding evidence of poaching activities, 137 researchers also made some exciting discoveries

DESPITE efforts by the authorities, the Maliau Basin Conservation Area (MBCA), dubbed as Sabah's "Lost World", is still facing environmental and wildlife disturbance as poachers and gaharu (sandalwood) collectors intrude into the protected area.

This was the shocking discovery during a 10-day intensive resource and wildlife inventory survey in the pristine rainforest by local researchers recently.

Members of the team not only found fresh evidence of encroachment, such as bullet casings, camping sites, hunting and fishing paraphernalia and graffiti on tree trunks, but also had close encounters with a band of suspected poachers or gaharu collectors.

Three suspected poachers made their presence known by peeping into one of the 132 camera traps set up in several areas by the survey team to capture wildlife presence in the Class 1 protected forest.

"After we destroyed the suspected poachers' camping site, we were surprised when they suddenly appeared. Fearing for our safety, we had to run away," said Sharon Koh from World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF Malaysia), who participated in the field study.

A check with the Maliau Basin Studies Centre, an administrative centre for MBCA, revealed that the poaching and gaharu collectors' activities were mainly confined to the MBCA buffer zone area, which played a critical role in the protection of the MBCA.

The buffer zone is where most threats to the 58,840ha MBCA are addressed in a tactical sense, including blocking the intrusion of hunters, loggers and gaharu collectors from entering the areas.

Yayasan Sabah rangers, with cooperation from other government agencies, especially the Sabah Wildlife Department, have been regularly patrolling the buffer zone as well as MBCA's core areas to check for intruders, while rangers' posts were also set up in several places, including Sungai Kuamut and Lake Linumunsut.

The intensive field survey, however, produced an impressive listing of mammals and birds, including rare and endangered species, living in the untouched wilderness, characterised by diverse assemblage of forest types with complex river systems and dozens of beautiful waterfalls.

The local researchers, comprising 137 participants, were from Yayasan Sabah, University Malaysia Sabah, Sabah Wildlife Department, Sabah Parks, WWF Malaysia, Sabah Institute for Development Studies and Kinabatangan Orang Utan Conservation Programme (Hutan- KOCP), forest rehabilitation project Inikea and Sabah Environmental Trust.

The flora and fauna inventory survey, which started on June 14, covered almost the entire conservation area, except the 15,000ha heritage zone set aside for future generations to explore in the next 50 years (no sooner than 2050).

The intensive study confirmed that the protected area, which is slightly larger than Penang island, is home to some of Sabah's most rare and endangered species, including pygmy elephants, orang utan and proboscis monkeys.

Researchers also recorded the presence of other mammals through direct sighting or captured by camera traps. These included the clouded leopards, Malayan sun bear, barking deer, mousedeer, banded palm civet, bay cat, short-tail mongoose, Borneon gibbon, porcupines, pangolins and langur.

The exciting list of birds recorded included Bulwer's pheasant, giant pitta, bathawk, red-bearded bee-eater, Borneo ground cuckoo, white-fronted falconet, crested fireback, Borneon bristlehead, scarlet-rumped trogon and Borneon bristlehead.

Bird expert Alim Biun, from Sabah Parks, confirmed that all eight living species of Borneo hornbills, including the helmeted hornbill, were also found in the 588.4 sq km conservation area.

Augustine Tuuga, deputy director of Sabah Wildlife Department, said the survey, headed by the department, was a huge success despite the many poaching activities.

"These poachers are a real threat to the wildlife population, not only at Maliau Basin, but to all the state's conservation areas like Danum Valley and Imbak Canyon. These are not only a national heritage, but of world interest and we must protect it at all cost."

Sabah Foundation group manager for conservation and environmental conservation, Dr Waidi Sainun, said the survey would provide a baseline input about flora and fauna studies, and human impact on the area, including rivers and morphology.

"The findings will be documented to help charter the inter-Agency Maliau Basin Management Committee's management plan, while the inventory survey will be a regular affair at five-year intervals.

"This (survey) is intended to be a regular affair as we want to monitor the situation of the conservation area (including Imbak Canyon and Danum Valley conservation areas) every five years.

"Through this effort, we will be able to know the increase or decrease in the wildlife population within the conservation area."

Waidi, who also participated in the survey, said the field study was supported by Inikea, a collaboration between Innopprise of Sabah Foundation and Ikea, a Swedish organisation involved in environmental projects.

He said intensive field surveys on Maliau Basin started in 2000, as part of the preparation of the Maliau Basin Conservation Area Management Plan. And in 2001, the first major expedition reached Lake Linumunsut in the northern part of the basin. Bernama

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Indonesia: Park Rangers Seize Ill-Gotten Wood in East Kalimantan

Tunggadewa Mattangkilang Jakarta Globe 29 Jun 13;

Officials in East Kalimantan have seized 20 cubic meters of a rare and highly prized tropical hardwood logged from inside the Kutai National Park, highlighting what they say is a losing battle against illegal loggers.

Hernowo Supriyanto, the head of the park’s management, said on Friday that the seizures were made by forest rangers on Wednesday.

He said that in addition to the hauls of Borneo ironwood, five cubic meters of which were found earlier on Friday, the rangers also confiscated a chainsaw, a motorcycle and two tents believed to have been used by the loggers.

Hernowo said the fact that the loggers had managed to cut down so many of the slow-growing trees underscored the point that park rangers were underfunded and undermanned in cracking down on illegal logging, even within an ostensibly protected national park.

“We only have 23 forest rangers who are helped by a corps of 45 volunteers, and they’re responsible for patrolling the entire 200,000 hectares of the national park,” he said.

“And even if the volunteers find illegal loggers, they’re not allowed to arrest them unless they have a park ranger with them. So we’re really badly short of manpower.”

Hernowo said that the Borneo ironwood tree, known locally as ulin, was the single most targeted kind of tree in the park, thanks to high demand for it in East Asia, where it is typically smuggled by way of Malaysia.

The wood, described as one of the densest and most durable types of timber in the world, typically sells for around $2,000 per cubic meter abroad, but is banned for export by the Indonesian government.

By comparison, ramin, another tropical hardwood and the most valuable commercial tree species allowed for export by Indonesia, sells for around $1,000 per cubic meter.

Ulin is virtually depleted in Malaysia, while logging in Indonesia is restricted to trees with a diameter less than 60 centimeters.

Hernowo said the illegal loggers in Indonesia would only get around Rp 8 million ($800) per cubic meter of ulin, but that this had become such a lucrative trade for them that they had built an extensive network of roads, bridges and campsites in the national park to ship out the timber more easily.

He said one of the main factors allowing the practice to persist was the fact that some 65,000 people still lived within the park’s borders. With such a heavy human presence, the incidence of forestry crimes was bound to be high, he said.

He added that programs aimed at getting the residents to take up other activities, including growing oil palms, had so far proven less than effective.

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Philippines: Taking endangered wildlife as pets against the law, says DENR chief

Jeannette I. Andrade Philippine Daily Inquirer 30 Jun 13;

MANILA, Philippines — Let’s not pet them.

Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Ramon Paje urged the public on Sunday to refrain from keeping wildlife species as pets and taking them away from their natural habitats because they are highly vulnerable to stress.

Paje made the call following last week’s death from pneumonia and cardiac arrest of a male tarsier, which had been rescued from the Manila Golf and Country Club in Makati City.

In a statement Paje said, “We have very interesting wildlife species, such as the tarsier. Most of the time we are tempted to buy them and take them as pets. But these are very different from domesticated animals like dogs and cats. They are very sensitive and highly vulnerable to stress and diseases.”

He added that the survival rate of wildlife animals kept as pets has been very low.

The environment secretary stressed that the death of the tarsier should serve as a wake up call and said, “If we want our children to see our precious wildlife species alive, let us leave them alone in the wilds where they belong. Let’s not pet them.”

Paje likewise warned that the collection of wildlife species, both flora and fauna, from the wild without a permit would be illegal. Mere possession, he said, of an endangered animal would be punishable under the Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act with a maximum of four years of imprisonment and a P300,000 fine.

Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB) director Mundita Lim said that based on the result of the necropsy, the tarsier died of pneumonia and cardiac arrest. She said that the cause of death was an indication of exposure to stress.

The PAWB director said that the tarsier was found dead at around 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday last week inside its cage at the intensive care section of the wildlife rescue center in Quezon City.

Lim said that arrangements had previously been made with the Philippine Airlines last Tuesday for the tarsier’s flight back to Bohol for re-introduction into the wild.

She explained that taking into consideration the frailty of the tarsier when taken out of its natural habitat, she had dispensed with the standard 90-day observation period and ordered the primate flown back to Bohol as soon as it showed signs of appetite improvement.

Lim said, “To keep the tarsier from further stress, our veterinarians decided against subjecting the animal from outside contact. Getting blood samples to determine its condition was totally out of the question,” and stressed that the animal’s appetite was the only way to go by to determine its condition at the time.

The tarsier showed signs of appetite improvement until Wednesday morning, when the caretaker noticed that the animal did not eat and was on the floor of the cage. It eventually died past noon.

The Philippine tarsier (tarsius syrichta) is one of the smallest known primates in the world. Its size ranges from 118 to 149 millimeters (4.6 to 5.8 inches) while its average weight is between 113 and 142 grams.

The Philippine tarsier is among “endangered” wildlife species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Conservation Monitoring Center in 1986 and is now included in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species of “near threatened” animals.

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Best of our wild blogs: 30 Jun 13

deadfish @ northwestern Singapore coast off SBWR & LCK - 29Jun2013 from sgbeachbum

Butterfly of the Month - June 2013
from Butterflies of Singapore

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Indonesia: Jakarta says hot spot situation 'more under control'

Indonesia pledges to continue haze-fighting efforts even as it seeks neighbours' patience
Leonard Lim Esther Teo In Bandar Seri Begawan
Straits Times 30 Jun 13;

Indonesia's haze-fighting efforts have borne fruit, with the number of hot spots down from a high of 265 to seven last Friday, and the size of the affected area a quarter of what it was, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa said yesterday.

The situation is becoming "more under control", he told reporters after meeting his Singapore and Malaysian counterparts. He said that was due to efforts in cloud-seeding and water-bombing the burning areas, and propitious weather.

"We must continue these efforts... this is a commitment by the Indonesian government to ensure that we address this problem in a comprehensive way," he said.

Some 2,800 military personnel and 3,000 civilians, along with helicopters and other aircraft, are involved in the effort.

Singapore's Mr K. Shanmugam initiated the one-hour informal meeting in Brunei so that the ministers of the three most affected countries could come to some solution before today's Asean Ministerial Meeting (AMM). He termed the reduction in hot spots "substantial".

Earlier yesterday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted in a Facebook post that the number of hot spots had fallen steadily over the last few days. "This is good news! I hope the situation continues to improve over the next few weeks," PM Lee added.

The Pollutant Standards Index in Singapore has hovered within the good to moderate range in the past few days, after soaring to hazardous levels a fortnight ago.

With the area affected down from a high of 16,500ha to 4,081ha, Dr Marty issued a plea for patience, highlighting how it was not typical forest fires that were causing the haze but peatland, where fires are below the surface.

"So while you may not have actual trees burning, the smoke is still coming from... underground. So it is a bit more complicated than what you would imagine it to be, and the fire-fighting capacities are working day in and day out."

Dr Marty and Mr Shanmugam, who met Malaysia's Mr Anifah Aman in a hotel lounge without aides present, both called the session constructive and positive.

The trio also discussed ways to prevent a recurrence of the haze and how to mitigate it. Ideas will be presented to the rest of Asean's foreign ministers at today's AMM.

Mr Shanmugam said he expects a "good statement" on how Asean hopes to deal with the haze after today's meeting.

That is expected to be part of an Asean joint communique, a concluding statement traditionally issued after such meetings.

Singapore has also asked Indonesia to clarify whether Singapore- linked firms are involved in starting fires that caused the haze, after contradictory statements from officials there.

Dr Marty said investigations are ongoing and it was not appropriate to comment. Still, he said, 18 individuals had been arrested so far.

Indonesia is the only country in the region yet to ratify a 2002 Asean Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution. Dr Marty said Jakarta was committed to doing so.

"But the most important thing (is)... we have actually been in full compliance and have essentially followed up on what is required in the agreement - sharing of information," he said.

He pointed to how an upcoming meeting of environment ministers in Malaysia, where the haze will be discussed, was an initiative of Indonesia's back in 2008.

"So, while focusing on ratification, we must also bear in mind the reality that we have also been essentially implementing the agreement irrespective."

Air clears in Malaysia as Indonesian fires die out
Straits Times 30 Jun 13;

Kuala Lumpur/Jakarta - Rains and a favourable wind have cleared Malaysia of the thick, choking haze that recently sent air pollution levels to hazardous levels.

The fires in Indonesia's Sumatra island, the main source of the haze pollution, have also died down.

Satellite imaging yesterday showed just seven hot spots in Sumatra, compared to a high of 437 on Monday.

However, peatland fires which burn underground are still smoking, and soldiers continue to work alongside firemen in Sumatra's Riau province.

Indonesia, which has been carrying out cloud seeding and water bombing to encourage rain, has also continued to track down the culprits behind the illegal fires.

Police in Riau have detained 18 suspects and are tracking down at least five more, according to the Indonesian news agency Antara.

In Malaysia, most of the areas being monitored for haze were registering moderate to good Air Pollution Index (API) readings.

The poorest API readings were in Kota Tinggi in Johor and Bukit Rambai in Malacca, according to the Department of Environment.

But even these readings - 81 in Kota Tinggi and 86 in Bukit Rambai at 5pm - are a vast improvement from the past week, when readings shot to as high as 746 in Muar, causing the government to temporarily declare emergency status in two districts in Johor.

Meanwhile, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), which monitors and promotes sustainable farming of palm oil, has launched its own investigation after five of its members were named as possibly involved in causing the forest fires in Indonesia.

The result of its initial probe is expected to be out by the end of this week.

Illegal burning in Sumatra typically takes place during the dry season around June to September, to clear space for palm oil plantations.

But this year's fires were unusually widespread.

For Riau's farmers, livelihood trumps haze
It will take time to change attitudes on the ground
Joyce Lim Straits Times 30 Jun 13;

All a poor farmer needs is just a match to start a fire.

That fire could spread quickly across forest plantations, especially during the dry season.

Once the land has been cleared, the farmer can start planting crops, which he will later sell to feed himself and his family.

But try telling the farmer not to light up; or tell him to pay $2,000 for excavators to clear the land instead.

Or tell him to find other means to feed his family.

He is, in all likelihood, going to ignore you.

During a recent assignment to Riau - ground zero of the haze which blanketed much of the region - The Sunday Times team met many such farmers.

They are poor, unskilled and rely on farming to feed their families.

These farmers have, for generations, been burning land to clear it for the next planting season.

They live and breathe the haze, year after year.

When I tried to tell them about the hazardous levels of the Pollutant Standards Index, I sounded as alien to them as I looked in my N95 mask.

Many do not think they are doing anything wrong, or that their routine acts have contributed regularly to the thick haze enveloping the region.

Mr Suryanto, head of the Dumai Forestry Department, told The Sunday Times that it is an almost impossible task to try and stop these farmers from burning to clear the land.

As the head of the department, Mr Suryanto acknowledges that he has the authority to issue new regulations or to change existing ones, and empower the forestry police to carry out enforcement.

But it takes more than just changing regulations or stepping up enforcement to stop the burning, he explained. Killing off the haze is as good as killing the livelihoods of these farmers.

"These poor farmers will do anything it takes to protect their livelihoods," Mr Suryanto said.

"When you have nothing, you fight with your life to protect anything and everything that can feed you and your family."

Mr Suryanto even foresees blood being shed if the authorities try to take away the land from the farmers, or chase them away.

"These villagers will unite and fight the police. Even then, the burning will not stop. They will move to another area and start burning again," he said.

The Sunday Times team witnessed such collective kampung attitude when a group of villagers approached our car because the driver refused to pay a jobless villager who helped direct traffic on a road that was partially under construction.

The situation was diffused when the driver offered the man a few rupiah.

Shuttling between the provincial capital of Pekanbaru and hot spots in Dumai and the regencies of Bengkalis and Rokan Hilir in the last two weeks, the team saw plumes of smoke rising from charred plots of lands, every few kilometres we travelled.

Such instances of indiscriminate burning did not happen only in forested areas, but right in the heart of Pekanbaru, and are an indicator of just how commonplace slash-and-burn practices are in Indonesia.

Burning is still the cheapest way to clear land here. It takes just 10 litres of diesel - costing 50,000 rupiah (S$6.40) - to clear 1ha of land.

It goes some way towards explaining why few would move to spend about 15 million rupiah - or close to $2,000 - to hire workers and rent excavators to flatten and clear a plot of land of similar size.

Local farmer Mulia Manurung, 50, said that $2,000 is more than what he earns in a year.

Life is simple for the farmers here, who do not watch television or read the newspapers. So attempts to educate and inform them about the ills of slash-and-burn through the media would be largely ineffective.

Besides, reaching them also poses some challenges for the authorities as 90 per cent of Dumai is forested, and the vast geography makes it difficult to reach these farmers who live deep in the forest, said Mr Khairul Anwar, the mayor of Dumai.

Dumai is a coastal city closest to many of the hot spots in Riau province.

But farmers with smallholdings are just one part of the problem behind the annual outbreak of fires and haze in Indonesia.

Fingers have continued to be pointed at major pulp and palm oil companies which own plantations in Riau, and at least 14 companies are being investigated by the Indonesian authorities.

Most companies refute allegations that they are responsible and claim that they follow strict no-burning policies - and demand that their contractors do the same.

But activists say that when contractors further sub-contract the work to others, including some farmers, burning is often used to clear the land as it is the cheapest and fastest way to get the job done.

Observers, green activists and analysts also charge that corporations or local farmers with deep pockets take advantage of lax law enforcement and continue with the practice of burning to clear land.

The Sunday Times team in Riau spotted at least three such plantations in Dumai - one about 5,000ha in size.

This is despite Mayor Khairul saying that "there are no oil palm plantations in Dumai".

"If there are any," he added, "they are illegal."

Yet the owner of one such illegal plantation disclosed that he has been operating his 5,000ha plantation for the past five years.

A state of emergency was declared in Riau recently by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

The initial efforts of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) to put out the fires in Riau province appeared lacklustre, with just three helicopters, a Casa aircraft and one Hercules C-130 used for cloud-seeding and water-bombing operations.

But the efforts, including increased deployment of personnel on the ground and stronger enforcement, picked up pace following the Indonesian leader's apology for the haze.

Given the vastness of the area, and the scale of the problem, it is going to take considerable time and resources before real and effective changes are seen on the ground.

Farmers need to be supported with an alternative to burning, perhaps with subsidies for fertilisers or to buy the equipment they need to clear the land. Similarly, the large plantations need to step up checks and enforcement of practices, including and especially by their contractors.

In the meantime, Singaporeans, like others in the region, should learn to be better prepared when the haze inevitably returns again.

Read more!

Malaysia: Move to prevent peatfires nationwide

Lee Yen Mun and Yee Xiang Yun The Star 30 Jun 13;

BANTING: Initiatives are being taken to prevent peatfires nationwide so that these do not contribute to the haze situation.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said peatlands were being monitored so that any peatfire could be tackled quickly.

Also, he said, check dams and tube wells were being constructed to ensure the peatlands retain water during the current dry season as a preventive measure against fires.

The six states where peatlands abound are Selangor, Pahang, Johor, Kelantan, Sabah and Sarawak.

According to Palanivel, the Government had spent RM11.9mil to deal with the haze problem since 2009.

Under the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011-2015), a total of RM8.9mil has been allocated for this purpose.

The Sub-Regional Ministerial Steer­ing Committee on Trans­boundary Haze Pollution is expected to meet in Kuala Lumpur from July 15-17 to discuss a solution to the annual problem.

Haze is largely due to agricultural slash-and-burn activities in Sumatra during dry weather and winds carry the smoke here and to Singapore.

In Johor Baru, the Department of Environment said it hoped the Indonesian authorities could put out the fires in all 15 hotspots in that country soon, so that the haze does not return to Malaysia.

The air quality has improved tremendously nationwide over the past few days, following a period when the air quality in several areas in the peninsula were hazardous or unhealthy and hundreds of schools had to be temporarily shut.

Department director-general Datuk Halimah Hassan said the current dry season was expected to last until September and there was a possibility of the haze affecting Malaysia again.

“In the event that the fires are not totally put out in time, the south-west monsoon winds will carry the smoke over to our country,” she said.

“But we have received encoura- ging reports from the Asean Speciali-sed Meteorological Centre, so hopefully, the whole episode will be over soon.”

The country has been enjoying good to moderate air quality, according to the department’s Air Pollutant Index readings over the past few days, Halimah said.

“I am happy to report that the readings range between good and moderate, with no unhealthy air quality in any area,” she said.

She was speaking to reporters at a World Environment Day celebration here, where she also urged people not to waste food because this wastage contributes to global warming.

Read more!

60 volunteers to start catching litterbugs within next few weeks

Saifulbahri Ismail Channel NewsAsia 29 Jun 13;

SINGAPORE: Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Grace Fu said volunteers from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) will be empowered to catch litterbugs in a few weeks' time.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a cleanliness conference on Saturday, Ms Fu said authority cards will soon be given to 60 of these volunteers who have completed training.

More than 400 participants attended the inaugural Keep Singapore Clean Conference.

It was organised by the Public Hygiene Council in support of the Keep Singapore Clean Movement.

They discussed ways to keep Singapore clean.

Ms Fu stressed the importance of having more ground-up initiatives.

Last year, the government mooted the idea of a community-driven effort to tackle public littering.

Powers will be given to members of the community to catch litterbugs.

Under the scheme, volunteers will ask litterbugs to pick up their litter should they witness littering offences. Should offenders refuse to do so, they would be empowered to record the particulars of the offenders. The National Environment Agency will then investigate the cases before prosecuting the offenders.

The NGOs taking part in the scheme are Public Hygiene Council, Waterways Watch Singapore, Singapore Kindness Movement, Singapore Environment Council and Cat Welfare Society.

Ms Fu said: "The idea is really not to have an enlarged enforcement team but rather to have ownership. In other words Singaporeans see that this enforcement or social pressure comes from another person just like me and I think that the effect will be better rather than to have a uniformed person to go around issuing summons. What we want is to have more ground-up pressure to slowly over time inculcate a social norm that it is in our own responsibility to keep the place clean and not to litter."

Giving an update on the dengue situation, Ms Fu said that although there has not been a spike in the number of cases, it is still important to remain vigilant. She said the authorities are still monitoring the situation closely.

Ms Fu will join Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam at the ASEAN Ministerial Meetings in Brunei, which begins on Saturday. She said she is looking forward to meet her counterparts from the region to explain to them some of the environmental issues Singapore is facing. This includes the haze, which adversely affected Singapore this year. Ms Fu hopes to get their support to look for a regional solution.

- CNA/xq

Volunteers to get power to book litterbugs

60 have undergone training and will get accreditation cards soon
Rachel Tan And David Ee Straits Times 9 Jul 13;

ON ORCHARD Road, a group of several volunteers from the Cat Welfare Society stand and observe as an officer from the National Environment Agency (NEA) confronts a litterbug.

They watch as he asks the offender, politely but firmly, to pick up and bin the litter properly.

"We were taught to be non-confrontational and polite. The whole concept is just to persuade them not to litter," said volunteer Phyllis Tan, 36.

This is part of a new NEA training programme to empower volunteers in several non-governmental organisations to curtail littering offences.

Some 60 trained volunteers will be issued accreditation cards in the next few weeks, which give them the authority to ask litterbugs to bin their trash.

And if they refuse, to take down their particulars.

Volunteers are not aware of the exact date they will receive the cards. For a start, the volunteers will come from groups such as the Public Hygiene Council, Waterways Watch Society, Singapore Kindness Movement, Singapore Environment Council and the Cat Welfare Society.

The idea to include members of the public in the effort to prevent littering was first floated by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan to NEA last year.

He said then: "We believe that, in fact, we need to reclaim community ownership and community action (over the environment)."

Then-NEA chief executive Andrew Tan said at the time: "We need to get to the very heart of behaviour change by promoting the right social values, including 'zero tolerance' towards litter."

The number of littering offences went down from 41,392 in 2009 to 11,131 in 2011.

But chairman of the Public Hygiene Council, Mr Liak Teng Lit, has said that littering remains a serious issue, and that some Singaporeans litter "with impunity".

Trained volunteers will not go on patrols, but are encouraged to dissuade people when they witness them littering.

Over two half-day sessions last month, volunteers also engaged in role-play.

They also learnt to "walk away" if an encounter with a litterbug turned aggressive, said Ms Tan, who acknowledged the risk of conflict. "I mean, if I'm a litterbug and somebody approached me, I would also ask: 'Who are you?'"

She added: "And if we approach litterbugs and they refuse to pick up their litter, what are the chances that they will give us their particulars?"

Should difficult situations arise, volunteers are advised to seek help from NEA officials or note down the particulars of the offender.

Some commentators expressed scepticism.

Sociologist Daniel Goh of the National University of Singapore said: "Ethically, I don't think it is right for a government agency to pit citizens against citizens and expose people to potential violence."

Associate Professor Goh suggested nudge tactics such as creative campaigns and surveillance cameras to change littering behaviour.

But some believe that the task of keeping Singapore clean should not be left only to the authorities. Getting volunteers to come on board is a good ground-up approach.

Said Dr William Wan, general secretary of the Singapore Kindness Movement: "It is important to have a critical mass to create social pressure."

Read more!

Thailand: Little Edens may become Paradise Lost

As Thai islands draw more visitors, they face growing strain on basic infrastructure
Tan Hui Yee, Thailand Correspondent, In Koh Tao, Thailand
Straits Times 30 Jun 13;

It's nearly midnight but the air buzzes with music from bars and boisterous conversation. An endless stream of freshly tanned Europeans fills a narrow street lined with guesthouses, cafes and souvenir shops. Some of them stride barefoot, having just emerged from the beach nearby.

This is the liveliest stretch of Koh Tao, a small island in the Gulf of Thailand, but it is also typical of scenes in many of the country's famed island destinations.

Thailand, which hosted 22.35 million visitors last year, is expecting an even better showing this year. And its islands are a key draw.

Islanders and environmentalists alike are bracing themselves for this surge in numbers, given the potential strain visitors place on these little Edens.

Many rely on wells and rainfall for water, undersea cables and generators for electricity, and process their own sewage. Space for trash is limited and roads are prone to jams if not developed in line with the growth of tourist vehicles.

"These island paradises have a hard time coping with water shortages and the disposal of solid waste," says environmental management expert Chirapol Sintunawa from Mahidol University.

Koh Tao, a 21 sq km diving hot spot that was last week ranked by the popular travel review website TripAdvisor as one of the world's top 10 islands, pulled in 124,000 visitors in 2011 and an estimated 10 per cent more last year. Its sister island Koh Phangan, famed for its Full Moon beach parties, saw an estimated 530,000 visitors last year - a whopping 60 per cent more than in the previous year.

In December last year, Koh Phangan and Koh Samui - another island in the same province - were hit by a three-day blackout. That triggered soul-searching about how the development of basic infrastructure has lagged behind population and tourism growth.

Groups of locals and activists have teamed up to try to reverse the damage. Two weeks ago, Koh Tao held its annual eco-themed festival, where tourists and tourism businesses were cajoled to recycle, pedal around the island and avoid using plastic bags and styrofoam packages.

Businesses gave out free food, while popular bands drew in the crowds.

But the message was clear - it was time to protect the island from further pollution.

"We have to educate the people," Koh Tao's mayor Chaiyan Thurasakul told The Sunday Times.

The 43-year-old Koh Tao native has seen the island grow from a fishing and coconut-farming outcrop to a bustling attraction teeming with diving schools.

He worries about the unbridled growth of hotels and wants to subject new developments to a more rigorous approval process.

The limited sources of water are a top concern. The 85-room Ko Tao Resort on the southern end of the island has to ship water from the mainland to make up part of the 60 cubic metres it needs for its daily operations.

The high-end Jamahkiri Resort and Spa depends on its own desalination plant. It is costly, admits general manager William DeBaeck, but it is better than facing a shortage if rough seas disrupt water deliveries.

Some local businesses are trying to make a difference.

The 180-room Ban's Diving Resort turns its waste cooking oil into soap and biodiesel, which it uses to run its trash compactors.

At the festival ground two weeks ago, it set up booths to share this expertise.

Environmental advocates urge travellers to do their part by choosing less resource-intensive accommodation.

Thailand's Green Leaf Foundation, which is supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand, promotes this practice by running a voluntary accreditation programme for environmentally friendly hotels.

Ultimately though, it is the hotel operators that can play the biggest part in protecting these island destinations, says Dr Chirapol. "If we give tourists good rooms, there is no way they can pollute the environment.

"You can't really tell the guest to only sing one song in the shower," he jests. But you can give them a water-efficient shower head, as well as shampoo without chemicals that damage waterways, he adds.

Read more!