Indonesia: Riau police names five as suspects in forest fires

Antara 13 Feb 14;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - The Riau Police have charged five people as suspects in the land and forest fires cases after cross examinations and inquiries with several witnesses.

"Out of the five, three are from the Bengkalis Regency and one each from Pekanbaru and Indragiri Hilir Regency," stated the Riau Police Chief Inspector General Condro Kirono in Pekanbaru on Thursday.

Condro pointed out that the case is currently being handled by the local police officers. As for the case in the Bengkalis Regency, all three suspects are involved in the same crime.

He noted that the forest area which was burnt down in each region will soon be marked by the police line, so that the citizens become aware that the case is being handled by police officers.

"The suspects were charged under Law No. 18 of 2004 on plantation with the punishment of maximum 10 years imprisonment with the highest fine of Rp10 billion. They are also charged under Law No. 26 of 2007 on Spatial Planning," he explained.

Condro pointed out that the implementation of the quilted article will be a deterrent effect. He added that in 2013, the Riau Police had held as many as 33 suspects in burning of forests.

Director General of Plantation of Agricultural Ministry, Gamal Nasir, pointed out that Singapores protest against the smokes from land and forest fires in Riau should be taken seriously with the mitigation and prevention efforts act.

"We have to pay attention to the land and plantation fires. Singapores protests have been strong," stated Gamal Nasir in Pekanbaru, Riau on Thursday.

Gamal noted that in future, it should be ensured that there are no protests from other countries regarding the fires and smokes and in this regard, it should be addressed properly.

(Reporting by Adityawarman/D018/INE/KR-BSR/H-YH)
Editor: Priyambodo RH

Dumai to declare forest fire alert to highest level
Antara 13 Feb 14;

Dumai, Riau (ANTARA News) - The Dumai city administration is soon set to declare the highest level of alert status after haze originating from the forest and plantation fires lately blanketed the city.

The alert status will be applicable as the haze condition has worsened and the citys air quality has degraded, Deputy Mayor of Dumai Agus Widayat noted here on Thursday.

The air quality of Dumai has reached a precarious level that can pose a threat to the residents health, he stated during a meeting to coordinate efforts to tackle the haze problem.

The latest Pollutant Standard Index reading in the coastal city of Dumai hit 200 PSI, which is categorized as unhealthy.

Hotspots have been detected in 11 locations across Dumai and the visibility has dropped to less than 100 meters.

The meeting concluded that all the stakeholders must assist in tackling the forest fires and the health service office must monitor the health condition of the local residents.

"We urge the people to stay indoors and use face masks if they have to venture outdoors to prevent them from developing any respiratory problems," he advised.

The number of patients suffering from respiratory and mouth problems has reached 510 in the Dumai City, Riau Province, over the past six weeks.

However, there was no significant increase in the number of patients, even though the city has been hit by haze arising from the forest and plantation fires, Marjoko Santoso, the head of the Dumai health service, remarked here on Thursday.

The data was collected from patients visiting hospitals and community health centers in Dumai, since early January 2014.

He urged the local residents to use face masks to prevent developing any respiratory problems due to the haze lately enveloping the city.

The local health service office has distributed tens of thousands of face masks to the pedestrians.

Meanwhile, visibility in Dumai, Riau Province, dropped drastically to only five meters, on Tuesday (Feb. 11) at 7 a.m. local time, due to a thick haze produced by forest and plantation fires.
(Uu.INE/KR-BSR/S012)
Editor: Priyambodo RH

S’pore haze fears mount as Riau fires rage on
Nurfika Osman and Rizal Harahap, The Jakarta Post 13 Feb 14;

Hazy day: Thick fog blankets Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport in Pekanbaru, Riau, on Wednesday. Heavier smog from forest fires has reportedly reached neighboring Singapore, igniting worries over flight safety and possible respiratory illnesses. (Antara/FB Anggoro)

Fears that haze triggered by forest fires in Riau, Indonesia, will reach Singapore are mounting, as the number of hot spots across Sumatra increases.

Singapore Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said on his Facebook account on Tuesday night that 458 hot spots were visible and haze might worsen when winds weakened next week.

“We will try to encourage them to take action, but we all know the welfare of close neighbors is not their priority. [These are the] hard truths of regional politics,” Balakrishnan said.

As of Wednesday, Antara news agency reported 243 hot spots in Riau, 74 in North Sumatra, 40 in West Sumatra and 75 in Aceh.

Earlier, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite reported hot spots in Riau had increased sharply from 30 in early January to 248 in early February.

The government is aware that an early start to the dry season may result in prolonged periods of haze in the archipelago, and is thus strengthening cooperation with localities to help tackle fires.

Forestry Ministry secretary-general Hadi Daryanto said the ministry had urged local leaders to closely monitor the number of hot spots on a daily basis and douse fires immediately.

“We have also deployed Manggala Agni firefighting teams to fire-prone areas to handle forest fires. They have been working with communities as well so we are quite well prepared [to face fires],” Hadi told The Jakarta Post.

The ministry has allocated Rp 1.5 trillion (US$124.5 million) to forest-fire management this year and has called on other departments and companies to follow.

Hadi, however, could not guarantee that the haze would not reach Singapore given that an incoming tropical cyclone could blow the haze toward the city state.

National Disaster Management Board (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said the BNPB was collaborating with the Indonesian Military (TNI), the National Police, Manggala Agni, the Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) and local disaster mitigation agencies (BPBDs) to handle forest fires.

Sutopo also said the board planned to conduct water bombing if fires reached a dangerous level.

The plan is to charter an amphibious BE-200 and a Kamov helicopter from Russia for the water bombing.

Worsening air quality in a number of regions in Riau has seen thousands suffer from acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs).

In Dumai, Riau, air pollution has reached an alarming level, with the Ambient Air Quality Monitoring program showing the level of pollution to have reached 449 on the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI).

“Particles including fine dust carried by wind and haze are very hazardous to human health and people are extremely susceptible to ARTIs,” said Dumai health office head Marjoko Santoso.

Ever since haze from forest and peatland fires appeared, 670 people have been recorded as suffering from ARTIs in Dumai.

The number of patients is predicted to rise further as the haze has not shown signs of receding.

“Dumai health office has distributed 40,000 masks through puskesmas [community health centers] in every district to motorcyclists and pedestrians,” said Marjoko.

He also advised members of the public to minimize outdoor activities. But for those who had to work outdoors, he suggested always wearing masks and drinking plenty of water to minimize the direct affects of the hot weather and haze, such as dehydration.

“Those with a history of lung infections, heart problems, as well as the elderly and toddlers, should remain indoors and tightly shut doors and windows to minimize air pollution,” he said.

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Malaysia: 4 years jail for causing death of an orang utan

Kristy Inus New Straits Times 14 Feb 14;

GUILTY: Duo say hunting and hurting of animal is to 'exact revenge'

KOTA KINABALU: TWO foreigners were jailed four years for hunting and hurting an orang utan, a totally protected species, which later died.

Armil Gundil and Arcamsar Amil, both Filipino construction workers at a plantation here, pleaded guilty to slashing the 15-year-old male orang utan with a parang and tying it up with a nylon string at Sahabat 3, Felda Sahabat in Tungku, Lahad Datu, on Jan 29.

Both were jailed 30 months for hunting the animal and 18 months for hurting it.

The charges were under the Sabah Wildlife Enactment 1997.

Judge M. Rajalinggam meted out the landmark decision at the Lahad Datu Sessions Court on Wednesday and ordered the jail term to run consecutively.

Sabah Wildlife Department prosecuting officer Karim Dakog said the two men had claimed that they wanted to "exact revenge" by killing the orang utan but witnesses said the two men were planning to eat the protected animal.

Department director Datuk Dr Laurentius Ambu said members of the Civil Defence Department informed the department about the orang utan being kept by the two men.

"I immediately directed our enforcement team to investigate," he said, adding that the two men were arrested and the badly injured orang utan was rescued.

The department's veterinarian Dr Sen Nathan said post-mortem findings showed the cause of death was malicious in nature.

"There were a lot of bruises on the body which indicated that the animal was badly beaten. There was also severe haemorrhage in the brain," said Sen, who is also the department's assistant director.

The court's decision was a testament that the state government supports the full force of the law to protect the wildlife, said Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun.

"We will show no mercy to anyone causing harm to our totally protected and endangered species.
"Sabah is blessed with some of God's wonderful creatures and it is our moral duty to protect them," Masidi said.

Jailing of orang utan killers hailed
The Star 15 Feb 14;

KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Wildlife Department has described the case of two plantation workers who were jailed two years for killing an orang utan as a “landmark decision”.

It was a boost to the department’s conservation efforts, its assistant director Dr Sen Nathan said, adding that it was part of efforts to combat the illegal poaching menace.

“We are focusing on poachers in forest reserves in an effort to fight the problem,” he said.

It was reported yesterday that the two workers, who pleaded guilty in the Sessions Court, had used a parang to slash the orang utan at Felda Sahabat on Jan 29.

They had been upset that the animal had damaged oil palm trees.

However, Dr Sen said wildlife rangers suspected that the culprits had wanted to consume the bushmeat.

He said 10 poachers had been caught in forest reserves and wildlife sanctuaries in the state so far this year.

The rangers had also seized various types of bushmeat at markets.

“There is local demand for bushmeat,” Dr Sen said, adding that certain people would go for any bushmeat they could get their hands on.

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Governments commit to decisive and urgent action to tackle global wildlife poaching crisis

WWF 13 Feb 14;

London, 13 February 2014 — Heads of state, ministers and high level representatives of 46 countries, including those most heavily impacted by poaching and illegal trade of wildlife, today committed to taking “decisive and urgent action” to tackle the global illegal wildlife trade.

The strongly worded declaration was issued following two days of closed-door negotiations hosted in London by the UK government. Their Royal Highnesses, Princes Charles, William and Harry also participated in the event.

Measures agreed by countries signing the declaration include action to eradicate the market from illegal wildlife products; agreement to strengthen law enforcement efforts and ensure that effective legal frameworks and deterrents are in place; and moves to promote sustainable livelihoods through positive engagement with local communities.

WWF and TRAFFIC welcome the post-conference “London Declaration” for recognising the significant scale and detrimental economic, social and environmental consequences of illegal wildlife trade, including how poaching and trafficking are increasingly controlled by organized criminal networks that undermine the rule of law and good governance and encourage corruption.

Heather Sohl, Chief Species Advisor at WWF-UK, said:

“Governments signing the London Declaration today sent a strong message: Wildlife crime is a serious crime and it must be stopped. This trafficking devastates species populations, but also takes the lives of rangers, impedes countries’ economic development and destabilises society by driving corruption.

"This is a crisis, not just at a national or regional scale, but one that demands urgent global attention, and so warrants high-level political support through the appointment of a dedicated United Nations Special Representative. It is down to governments to stand by their commitments now and put in place procedures and resources to tackle the crime back in their homelands.”

Countries present at today’s meeting include several whose elephant populations are under severe poaching pressure, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya and Tanzania. Other countries that represent major transit points for ivory shipped from Africa to Asia were also in attendance, including Togo, the Philippines and Malaysia, and significantly, China, the major market for illegal ivory.

Similarly, countries at the centre of the rhino horn trade chain were represented, including South Africa, Mozambique and Viet Nam, as well as some of those impacted by the illegal trade in tiger parts: Indonesia, Myanmar, Russia and China.

Also joining the meeting were representatives from a number of intergovernmental organizations with a significant role to play in addressing the crisis, including CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), INTERPOL, the World Customs Organization, various United Nations agencies, the African Development Bank, the Global Environment Facility and the World Bank. Several of these organizations have the potential to make resources available to implement the declaration’s commitments.

“Today’s London Declaration was a clear call to arms for countries to play their part in bringing down the organized criminal networks that are destroying the world’s iconic wildlife and destabilizing national and international security,” said Steven Broad, executive director of TRAFFIC.

“Key to supporting those efforts are the agreed actions targeting the consumer end of the supply chain, where reducing the demand for wildlife products is an essential part of the process,” Broad added.

“This degree of high level attention to illegal wildlife trade and unanimous call for action is unprecedented. Our challenge now is to keep up the pressure and help translate this attention into concerted action to put the Declaration’s bold commitments into action.”


Global accord on combatting illegal wildlife trade agreed by 46 nations
William Hague hails London event as 'turning point' in fight against yearly slaughter of thousands of rhinos and elephants
Adam Vaughan The Guardian 13 Feb 14;

Forty-six countries on Thursday agreed a declaration to tackle the illegal wildlife trade that is killing thousands of elephants, rhinos and other endangered species each year.

The foreign secretary, William Hague, said he believed that the unprecedented high-level event in London would turn out to be a historic conference and a turning point in the fight against the illegal trade, which is worth up to £12bn a year and is rated as the fourth most valuable to crime after human trafficking, the arms trade and drugs.

The London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade, was held at Lancaster House, and attended by the Prince of Wales, and his sons, the Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry, four African heads of state, and a flurry of celebrities speaking out against poaching, including the action film star Jackie Chan, the footballer David Beckham, and the former NBA basketballer Yao Ming.

People in China, the world's biggest market for ivory, had turned against ivory products in the past five years, Chan suggested. He compared the generational change in Chinese views on ivory consumption to the shift that had taken place in younger Chinese people against smoking.

The 13-page London declaration, which was agreed at the meeting, describes the trade as having "significant scale and detrimental economic, social and environmental consequences".

The countries at the meeting agreed to a series of actions, including addressing corruption, adopting legislation for tougher penalties against poachers, and recruiting more law enforcement officers.

Hague singled out as significant the promise in the declaration that governments would not procure wildlife products officially. "I believe today we have begun to turn the tide."

Demand from an increasingly affluent Asian middle class, in particular in China and Vietnam, has driven the price of rhino horn to more than $60,000 (£36,000) a kilo – an amount that is more than the value put on gold and cocaine. Ivory has been selling at $2,000 a kilo.

A study this week showed that five countries in central Africa lost 65% of their forest elephant population between 2002 and 2011 despite an ivory sales ban in 1989. Gabon had the biggest losses.

South Africa alone lost more than 1,000 rhinos to poachers in 2013, a 50% increase on the year before, and up from just 13 of the animals in 2007.

Conservation groups welcomed the declaration, which WWF described as strong-worded, and the Environmental Investigation Agency said contained "meaningful actions".

Prince Charles told the summit: "Today you are breaking new ground by coming together and committing – at high levels never before seen at a conference on this topic – to take urgent action to put a stop to this trade, which has become a grave threat not only to the wildlife and the people who protect them, but also to the security of so many nations."

Prince William, who thanked Chan personally for his support of the initiative, said: "We are, as a family, so honoured to be part of this movement. We will stay the course with you until you succeed. We are here with a single shared purpose, to use our collective influence to put a stop to the illegal killing and trafficking of some our world's most iconic and endangered species."

Hague said the wildlife trade was not just an environmental crisis. He said: "This is now a global criminal industry, ranked alongside drugs, arms and people trafficking. It drives corruption and insecurity, and undermines efforts to cut poverty and promote sustainable development, particularly in African countries."

Ali Bongo Ondima, the president of Gabon, one of the four African leaders attending the summit, alongside the presidents of Chad, Botswana and Tanzania, said the trade had been a national security issue that "creates safety issues and makes money for rebel organisations".

Ethiopia, Botswana, Chad, Rwanda, and Uganda launched an elephant protection initiative at the summit. Botswana will host a follow-up high-level meeting in 2015 to discuss progress on tackling the wildlife trade.

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Best of our wild blogs: 13 Feb 14

Oriental Honey-buzzard attacking bees’ nest
from Bird Ecology Study Group

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Farmers losing S$15,000 to S$300,000 as mass fish deaths look set to continue

Kenneth Tan Today Online 13 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE — Fish farmers yesterday continued to add up their losses as the mass fish deaths resulting from the low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water showed no sign of abating, while National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan pledged that the Government would “do its utmost” to help farmers.

Farmers TODAY spoke to said they have each incurred losses ranging from S$15,000 to S$300,000 and, with uncertainty over how long the situation will last, they hope the authorities can help in the interim, as well as provide long-term support such as better monitoring of algae and plankton levels in the water.

Others are doing their best to mitigate losses by selling the remainder of their living fish as quickly as possible or moving them to less affected waters.

In a blog post yesterday, Mr Khaw said he had been told by Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) Chief Executive Officer Tan Poh Hong that the situation was serious, with those rearing more susceptible species such as grouper, threadfin and golden trevally more badly affected, while some farms had lost their entire stock.

“We had immediately sent in more workers to deploy aeration systems to help normalise the water conditions and also to assist in the disposal of dead fish,” he said. “I have asked MND and AVA to continue to help our farmers and look into their requests to see how best we can help them in the current situation.”

On Tuesday, the AVA said about 160 tonnes of dead fish had been found in farms on both the East and West Johor Straits. This could have been caused by a plankton bloom — brought on by hot weather or the neap tide — which can drain seawater of oxygen.

A similar incident occurred in 2009, where more than 200,000 dead fish washed up along Pasir Ris beach, but Mr Gary Zhang, who has been a farmer for more than 33 years, said this year’s spell is the worst he has seen.

He said an algae bloom, which could also be triggered by the lack of rain, could be another factor behind the deaths. When algae die, the decay process deprives water of oxygen. He has moved the rest of his livestock to safer waters in Malaysia for the time being.

The AVA has been collecting fish carcasses from affected fish farms and has placed a skid tank at Changi Point Ferry Terminal, where farmers can dispose of dead fish.

Mr Joseph Wee, who owns Blue Marine Fish Farm, said he had also dried some of his dead fish to feed other marine livestock. About seven tonnes of his fish have died, costing him about S$300,000.

Mr Timothy Ng, President of Fish Farmers Association of Singapore, which has about 40 members, said the association hopes to have a dialogue with the authorities, adding that it did not have the resources to help farmers much.

The Government could help by designating new sites to set up fish farms, such as north of Pulau Tekong or in waters with less algae count, which can be used to house stock in the event of a crisis of this nature, Mr Zhang suggested. A team could also monitor the algae or plankton levels in the waters weekly and alert farmers when levels become critical so precautionary measures can be taken.

“If you are prepared, you can place your fish in a canvas bag, put a net underneath while filtering the algae from the water. You can move the fish to a safer place then,” Mr Zhang said. “In 2009, we were not so well prepared. This time, the moment our fish started dying on Saturday, we moved the rest of them by Sunday.”

ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY AMANDA LEE











Pasir Ris mass fish deaths could lead to over $1 million in losses for farmers
Nur Asyiqin Mohamad Salleh The Straits Times AsiaOne 13 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE - Pasir Ris has been hit by mass fish deaths, with farmers there estimating that fish dying by the thousands daily could lead to losses exceeding $1 million.

Several affected fish farmers said the deaths started one or two days before the first day of the Chinese New Year.

Yesterday, fish farm workers in the area were seen moving bags of dead fish by boat to the vicinity of Changi Point Ferry Terminal, where a container had been set up for dead fish.

Fish farmer Simon Ho, 64, said he has lost about 20,000 fish, including grouper and silver pomfret, and could lose almost $50,000. "A lot of us could go bankrupt because of this."

The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) is looking into the mass fish deaths in over 20 farms near Pasir Ris, along the East Johor Strait.

It said causes could include low levels of dissolved oxygen or plankton bloom caused by the hot weather and neap tide, or when the high tide is at its lowest. Plankton blooms happen when micro-organisms in the seawater multiply quickly, draining the seawater of oxygen.

In 2010, a plankton bloom wiped out more than 200,000 fish around Pasir Ris.

Pasir Ris fish farmers are now trying to stem their losses by pumping oxygen and pouring medicine into the water to increase the immunity of the fish.

The AVA, which has collected samples from the farms for analysis, said it is helping farmers set up aeration systems to pump oxygen into the water.

But affected farmers want help in other areas to keep their business afloat. They said factors like cheap fish from Malaysia will make it hard for them to recover.

Fish farm owner Tang Kwai Leng, who is in her 50s, said she has lost over 3,000 fish. This includes red groupers, which can fetch $40 for 1kg. She said: "This is a black new year for us."

MND, AVA to help farmers who have lost their fish stocks: Khaw
Channel NewsAsia 12 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE: The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) is working closely with local fish farmers to try and salvage the situation after their fish stocks were wiped out over the last week.

In a blog post (also on facebook), National Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan said many farms, especially those in the North Eastern shores off Changi and Pulau Ubin, are grappling with large numbers of dead fish.

Mr Khaw added that those farms rearing more susceptible species like grouper, threadfin and golden trevally are more badly affected.

Some farms have lost their entire stocks.

Mr Khaw said the ministry would do its utmost to help the farmers ride out this rough patch.

The ministry had immediately sent in more workers to deploy aeration systems to help normalise the water conditions and also to assist in the disposal of dead fish.

The ministry and AVA will continue to help the farmers and look into their requests to see how best to help them in the current situation.

The sudden mass deaths of fish are likely caused by neap tide -- where the difference between the high and low tide is least -- and hot weather.

- CNA/ms

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Fewer hotspots detected in Sumatra on Wednesday: NEA

Channel NewsAsia 12 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE: The number of hotspots detected in Sumatra on Wednesday has dropped to 283 from 458 on Tuesday.

In an update, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said about half of the hotspots were in Riau province.

But NEA noted that more smoke plumes together with haze were visible in Riau on Wednesday, compared with Tuesday.

This was partly due to some cloud cover despite the drop in the number of hotspots counted.

NEA added that the prevailing northeasterly winds over Singapore are expected to persist for a couple of weeks.

This means that for the rest of this week, the likelihood of transboundary haze affecting Singapore remains low.

But Singapore may experience occasional slight haze due to the accumulation of particulate matter under stable atmospheric conditions.

At 8pm, the 3-hour PSI was 41 and the 24-hour PSI range stood at 26-32. A reading of 50 and below means the air quality is in the "good" range.

NEA said it would continue to monitor the situation and provide updates as necessary.

Updates are available at the NEA website, the haze microsite, or at NEA’s Facebook page and NEA’s Twitter.

- CNA/gn

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Indonesia: Riau is Burning… Again

Singapore Slams Indonesia as 'Hotspots' Spread
Camelia Pasandaran Jakarta Globe 12 Feb 14;

Jakarta. Brushfires continued to rage on the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday, blanketing the troubled Riau province in heavy haze and prompting calls of concern in Singapore as officials braced for the possible return of what is fast becoming an annual problem.

Local officials first reported hazy conditions in Riau last week as the province’s yearly brushfires tore through parched forests and scrubland after weeks of little rain. On Feb. 6, climate and disaster officials reported some 109 “hotspots” across Riau, placing the blame on local farmers’ use of a traditional method to clear covered farmland: setting the offending foliage alight.

By Monday the Riau Disaster Mitigation Agency counted some 187 hotspots on satellite imagery provided to Indonesian officials by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). One day later that number had jumped to 458 hotspots throughout Sumatra, Riau disaster agency head Said Saqlul Amri told the state-run Antara News Agency. More than half of the fires were in Riau, predominately concentrated in the districts of Bengkalis, Rokan Hilir and Siak, he said.

“The number of hotspot in Riau is 244, an increase from 55 hotspots a day before,” he said.

Air quality hit hazardous levels in Dumai and Siak districts on Tuesday, measuring 400 API on the Pollutant Standards Index. In Bengkalis and the provincial capital of Pekanbaru the air quality measured in excess of 100 API — “unhealthy” on the scale.

Some 1,493 people suffered respiratory illness in Dumai and Siak, the only districts to report cases to the local Health Agency. Officials worry the number will climb as additional reports roll in.

“At the moment, we only have reports from the two districts about the number of people suffering [upper respiratory tract infections] because of the haze in Riau,” Diwani, head of Riau Health Agency told the local news portal goriau.com on Tuesday.

The agency has distributed hundreds of masks in affected areas, and warned residents to remain indoors until the haze recedes. In Siak elementary and high schools have been temporarily closed since Tuesday to prevent students from falling ill.

“There are 210 schools are closed because the haze is getting thicker and dangerous especially for the children,” Siak education agency Kadri Yafis told the Indonesian news portal Liputan6.com.

Four flights were cancelled because of poor visibility at Riau’s Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport on Wednesday. Several other planes were able to land safely at the airport despite visibility dropping to as little as 200 meters. The airport’s staff has warned pilots to remain alert and is prepared to divert planes to nearby airports if visibility drops further.

A hot-button issue

The fires are already garnering a reaction in Singapore, where officials, already exasperated with Indonesia over the decision to name a naval vessel after two men responsible for a deadly 1965 bombing of an Orchard Road office building, were quick to express further disappointment in their neighbor.

“Hot spots increasing dramatically in Sumatra, with 458 visible today,” the city-state’s environment minister Vivian Balakhrisnan wrote on Facebook on Wednesday. “Haze may worsen when the winds weaken next week. Some rain expected, but not enough to douse the fires.

“We will try to encourage them to take action — but we all know the welfare of close neighbors is not their priority.”

Air quality in Singapore measured a healthy 35 API on Wednesday, according to the city-state’s National Environmental Agency.

Last year’s brushfires, which blanketed Singapore and Malaysia in a thick blanket of hazardous haze, resulted in weeks of finger-pointing and name calling between the neighboring nations. Indonesian officials accused Singapore of “behaving like a child,” while others accused Singaporean companies of setting the fires.

Many of the companies involved in agri-business in Indonesia are registered in Singapore, but were founded and are still run by Indonesian moguls — a fact that makes such criticisms moot.

Officials in Singapore and Malaysia accused Indonesia of failing to curb what has long been an annual problem. Air quality in Singapore dropped to the worst levels in more than a decade last year, prompting the adoption of an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) agreement on a transnational haze monitoring system.

One Ministry of Forestry official said the central government was concerned about the potential impact in Singapore and Malaysia.

“For sure, our government is prioritizing our own country [right now] as it’s not their country which is affected by the smoke at the moment, but us,” Raffles Panjaitan, the director of forestry investigations and observation at the Ministry of Forestry, told the Jakarta Globe on Wednesday. “We never intend to send smoke [to Singapore], but the wind might be heading there. We are concerned about this.”

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in an effort to prevent further strains on cross-border relations, ordered all disaster mitigation officers to do everything in their power to prevent the spread of haze to neighboring countries.

“Our officers have carried out efforts to prevent and handle the fires,” Raffles said.

‘An old tradition’

The Indonesian government has blamed this year’s haze on the actions of small-scale farmers — a claim that diverts the blame from large international agricultural commodity companies but underscores the hurdles the country faces in curbing an illegal practice in a place where enforcement is often lax and corruption is endemic.

“From initial information, the cause of the fire was local people who were used to clearing the land by burning it,” Raffles said. “It is an old tradition.”

A new crop of farmers from the neighboring province of North Sumatra were to blame for the fires, Raffles said. The farmers had moved in to concessions already granted to large agricultural firms, setting the existing cover on fire in an attempt to divert the blame and later use the land themselves, he explained.

“They wanted to imply that the companies were the ones who are burning the forests,” Raffles said. “Police have launched investigation into this case.”

This year’s early dry season in Riau has compounded matters, he said. The dry land has made containing the blaze difficult, Raffles admitted.

“Although it’s wet in Jakarta and most of Java, Riau and West Kalimantan have not seen rain for a month,” he said.

Local residents also set fires of their own during the dry season, torching roadside forests and wooded areas near residential neighborhoods, National Disaster and Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

“These [dry] conditions trigger people to burn the forest,” Sutopo told the Indonesian news portal kompas.com. “Most of the hotspots are located near the streets or residential areas.”

Little progress on a government solution

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) placed the blame on the shoulders of the central government, arguing that the ministries had a track record of favoring large palm and pulp companies known for environmentally destructive practices.

“It’s the mistake of the Indonesian government.” Zenzi Suhadi, a campaigner at Walhi, said on Wednesday. “When they issue a land concession, they failed to consider the environment and the rights of the local people. So it’s normal that after the environment has been badly damaged, that there would be consequences like forest fires and floods.”

The organization urged the government to review the contracts of any company caught burning to clear land.

“They should review the concessions given to companies which illegally clear the land,” Zenzi said.

The campaigner pointed to a disputed concession in Meranti owned by Nasional Sagu Prima, a sago palm plantation company. The land was long used as a sago plantation, but local farmers had always planted the trees amid the existing forest, he said.

When the company was awarded the land by the central government, it clear-cut the forest and planted a large 21,000-hectare sago plantation, Zenzi said. When the plantation caught fire, it quickly spread to land owned by local, small-scale farmers, he explained.

“Recently their plantation was on fire and it spread to people’s plantations,” he said.

While the company was able to douse the flames, the damage was already done to several local farms, Zenzi said.

“They cleared the forest,” he said. “They made the problem and the local people have become the victims. It’s the mistake of the government.”

The central government has to stop protecting big companies and reduce the environmental impact of unsustainable practices in places like Riau, he explained.

“The only way to stop [the fires] is by limiting the issuance of concessions for the plantation companies, especially those who have been illegally clearing the forest,” he said.

The government, though, has its own plan. Local officials need to continue their work to convince farmers to not set fire to existing vegetation.

“We do try to change their practices,” Raffles said. “Officers from the central government, the provincial to district level, have tried to inform and educate them about this. But they can’t be changed automatically. It takes time.”

Thick haze in Riau disturbs air transportation
Antara 12 Feb 14;

Pekanbaru, Riau province (ANTARA News) - Planes heading to Sultan Syarif Kasim international airport, Pekanbaru, Riau province, are forced to circle around before landing due to decreasing visibility, a result of ongoing forest fire in the area, an official stated.

"Almost all the planes intending to land in Sultan Syarif Kasim airport have to wait before the airport authority can confirm a safe landing position for them," airports Duty Manager Baiquni stated here on Wednesday.

According to the airports record, the planes that were made to circle around before clearance from the ground staff are Garuda Indonesia from Jakarta, Sky Aviation from Malaysia, Citylink from Batam and Air Asia from Bandung. Baiquni stated that the incident caused anything between 10 to 20 minutes delays in flight arrivals.

On Tuesday (Feb. 11), Garuda Indonesia, Lion Air and Air Asia postponed their flights to Pekanbaru, Riau, as haze from forest and plantation fires have reduced visibility to 500 meters.

Earlier it was reported that the air in Riau province, especially in Dumai city and Siak district, is on a dangerous level for local people to breathe, following continuous forest fires that have happened in the area.

"Even now thick haze from the forest fire is covering the two areas. According to Index of Air Pollution Standard (ISPU), the air quality in Dumai city and Siak district is on 485 Psi levels, which is considered as very unhealthy and hazardous," Siak districts Chief for Air Quality Control Affairs Irma Suryani stated here on Tuesday.

Spokesman from Riau provinces Health Office Dewani also confirmed the hazardous level of air quality in both the areas in Riau province. She suggested that people stay indoors until the air quality came back to normal.

The government of Riau province had earlier announced a close down of schools on February 11 and 12, following worsening air pollution in the area.

Meanwhile the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) noted that there were 81 hot spots in Riau province namely 26 spots in Bengkalis district, 14 spots in Indragiri Hilir, 13 spots in Siak district, 13 spots in Pelalawan, five in Rokan Hilir, four in kampar district, five in Meranti district and one in Dunai city.

The agency stated that the visibility in the morning is only about 500 meters ahead.

Reporting by FB Anggoro
Translating and Editing by Amie Fenia Arimbi
EDITED BY INE


Editor: Aditia Maruli

Sumatra hot spots on the increase, warnings of haze
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post 11 Feb 14;

The latest satellite observation reveals that the number of hot spots in Sumatra has risen significantly from the previous 62 to 297 hot spots around the island, an official says. He added that the largest number was detected in North Sumatra province, with 142 spots.

“Our Terra and Aqua satellites have detected 297 hot spots around Sumatra, a significant increase on yesterday’s number, which was only 62 spots,” analyst at the Riau office of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Bibin Sulianto, said on Tuesday as quoted by Antara newswire.

These hot spots usually originate from land-clearing activities done by farmers or plantation companies. The land is cleared by slash-and-burn prior to farming or plantation. Most Sumatra provinces have entered the first phase of the dry season by now, which will last until March.

BMKG also raised concerns about haze. According to BMKG, the visibility at Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport was only 500 meters on Tuesday morning, described as critical, far below the minimum requirement of at least 1,500 meters.

“The haze combined with fog is the main cause,” Bibin said.

He said the BMKG would join forces with other related institutions like the Health Agency, Environmental Agency, the police and Forestry Agency to minimize the damage.(dic)

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Best of our wild blogs: 12 Feb 14

Your help needed! Take photos of disposal tank at Changi for dead fishes
from wild shores of singapore

Birds and Bridelia tomentoas fruits
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Toddycats’ MacRitchie forest walks in 2014
from Toddycats!

Blood, sweat and tears – 50+ research students since Chek Jawa
from Otterman speaks

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160 tonnes of dead fish found in farms along Johor Straits

Amanda Lee Today Online 12 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE — About 160 tonnes of fish from fish farms on both the East and West Johor Straits have been found dead, possibly due to low levels of dissolved oxygen in the waters or a plankton bloom or both, as well as the hot weather, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) said yesterday.

The authority has received reports of fish deaths — which include groupers, threadfin, golden trevally and rabbitfish — at 34 fish farms along the East Johor Straits and five fish farms along the West Johor Straits.

TODAY understands that fish supplies to Singapore are unlikely to be affected, as the numbers are relatively low for now. In 2012, fish imports totalled 103,859 tonnes while 5,128 tonnes of fish were produced locally.

Plankton are micro-organisms found in the seawater that can bloom or multiply quickly in a very short time. Plankton blooms can be triggered by fickle weather, higher concentrations of nutrients in sea water and poor water exchange between high and low tides. When their numbers rise quickly, they drain seawater of oxygen and this can result in fish death. The AVA said it has collected samples from the affected farms for analysis and no marine biotoxins were detected.

Clusters of dead fish have been found in various parts of Singapore since last week, including yesterday at the beach at Pasir Ris Park and Raffles Marina. Responding to queries about the dead fish at Raffles Marina, the National Environment Agency said its officers yesterday spotted about 40 dead fishes, most of them mostly grey mullet. “Water samples taken showed that the water quality parameters are in the normal range,” said a spokesperson, noting that the dead fish could have been brought in by the incoming tide.

Last Wednesday, more than 400 dead fish washed up on the shores of the river at Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park, with the PUB saying they could have died due to the low levels of dissolved oxygen in the water as a result of the recent hot and dry weather.

Fish farmers TODAY spoke to said they last saw such a phenomenon in 2009, and weather changes could have brought it on. Mr Timothy Hromatka, who has been operating FinFisher for the past three years, said: “The change in the local climate (causes) the plankton to bloom which could kill the fish, along with the neap tide.” A neap tide is when the difference between high and low tides is at its lowest, leading to poor water exchange. He estimated that he has lost about 20 tonnes of fish, with losses adding up to about S$150,000.

Mr Phillip Lim, Chairman of Singapore Marine Aquaculture Cooperative, said he has lost about five tonnes of fish worth about S$25,000 to S$30,000, and has taken mitigating steps. “I transfer my fish onto fish nets with green mussels to act as a filter so they can eat the plankton,” he said.

The AVA spokesperson said its staff is assisting and advising farmers to set up standby aeration systems, lower net cages and reduce or stop feeding, so as to improve water quality and circulation to help prevent more mortalities.

A water disposal vessel was activated to collect fish carcasses from the affected fish farms and in nearby fish farming zones and a skid tank will be placed at Changi Point Ferry Terminal, where farmers can dispose of dead fish, the spokesperson added.

Theses photos appear to have been added to the Today Online article when it was updated on 12 Feb at 4.30pm









Channel 8 news report on the mass fish deaths

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Singapore faces threat of early, prolonged haze

The NEA said Singapore might experience occasional slight haze due to the accumulation of particulate matter under stable atmospheric

Neo Chai Chin Today Online 12 Feb 14;

SINGAPORE — The Republic is facing an early, and prolonged, bout of haze, with Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and a pulp and paper giant both warning of an increase in burning in Indonesia.

In a strongly-worded Facebook post last night, Dr Balakrishnan said: “Again. Hot spots increasing dramatically in Sumatra, with 458 visible today. Haze may worsen when the winds weaken next week. Some rain expected, but not enough to douse the fires.

“We will try to encourage them to take action — but we all know the welfare of close neighbours is not their priority. Hard truths of regional politics,” he added.

The minister’s comments came on the same day Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), which has extensive plantations and operations in the Riau province of Sumatra in Indonesia, warned of a prolonged haze season, citing the early start of burning season. The company, Asia’s second-largest pulp and paper maker, reported 55 fires near its plantations in the first five weeks of this year.

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA) website, there were 458 hotspots detected yesterday, with more than half (246) of these in the Riau province. This was more than double the 187 detected on Monday.

Although the likelihood of transboundary haze affecting Singapore this week remains low because prevailing northeasterly winds are expected to remain for these two weeks, NEA said Singapore may experience “occasional slight haze due to the accumulation of particulate matter under stable atmospheric conditions”.

As at 9pm yesterday, Singapore’s three-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading was 38 — within the “good” air quality range.

Yesterday, APRIL said that with Sumatra seeing little rain since last month, burning — the cheapest way to clear land for agriculture — has started early this year.

Its head of Technical Services in Riau MP Periasamy said: “All it takes is five days (without) rain for the land to dry out and the temptation rises in the community to set fires.”

The dry season in Indonesia typically lasts from June to October, but dry weather has been forecast until mid-March. More than 320 hectares of forests near APRIL’s plantations have been burnt and 15 hectares of its plantations have been damaged by fires that spread from neighbouring forests, said the Singapore-headquartered company, which has 350,000 hectares of concessions in Riau.

APRIL, which dispatches crews to each location identified from space as a hot spot, said only a small number of hot spots detected from daily satellite images are actual fires. However, the current fire danger is at its highest level in nearly 70 per cent of its plantations, and the company has placed its firefighting management staff on 24-hour standby.

Singapore experienced its worst bout of haze in June last year, with the PSI hitting a record high of 401 at one point.

The Haze Monitoring System for five countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, including Singapore and Indonesia, has made little headway since its adoption at last October’s ASEAN Summit.

Law and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam noted “a lack of movement” on the system last month at the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat in Bagan, Myanmar.

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Malaysia likely to be free of haze till June

hemananthani sivanandam The Star 11 Feb 14;

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia is likely to escape severe haze despite the detection of nearly 300 hotspots in Indonesia’s Sumatra, said the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MMD).

A hotspot is registered when there is intense heat over a sizeable area, which typically happens during land clearing by way of open burning.

Dr Hisham Mohd Anip, a Department spokesman, said haze from forest fires was not expected to spread to Malaysia based on predicted wind patterns.

However, MMD warned that the risk would be higher between June to August as winds would likely change directions.

“So far, we are still in the northeast monsoon season. Therefore, any haze or smoke from Indonesia will not come to us,” Hisham said on Tuesday.

Indonesia news agency Antara reported that the Terra and Aqua Satellite detected 297 hotspots in Sumatra on Tuesday morning, a significant increase from the 62 detected on Monday.

An analyst from the Pekanbaru Meteorological, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Indonesia said the hotspots did not have anything to do with the eruption of Mount Sinabung in northern Sumatra.

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Malaysia: More bush fires due to heat wave

Ben Tan and Phuah Ken Lin New Straits Times 12 Feb 14;

HOT AND DRY: Bush fires on the rise nationwide

KUALA LUMPUR: THE heat wave engulfing the country has not only left Malaysians running for the shade, but also hinted at more severe consequences in store.

The dry spell has triggered a series of bush fires nationwide, keeping emergency services personnel busy around the clock.

The lack of rain has also raised concerns over depleting water levels in dams, such as Negri Sembilan's Kelinchi dam, which had almost reached critical level.

Bush fires sparked by the hot spell are on the rise, with 312 cases reported nationwide in just 24 hours since Monday.

Selangor recorded the highest number of bush fires with 79 cases followed by Perak with 70, between Monday and yesterday.

An official from the Fire and Rescue Department operations centre said the spike began on Jan 28, when they recorded 139 cases nationwide.

"This was a dramatic rise from Jan 26, which had only 100 cases. On regular days, we record fewer than 100 cases daily.

He said all states had increased the number of personnel on duty to cope with the problem.

Selangor Fire and Rescue Department operations assistant director Mohamad Sani Harul said the total number of cases from Feb 1 to Feb 9 had surpassed last month's figures.

Checks also showed that the weather had resulted in deteriorating air quality in several states.

As of 6pm yesterday, Muar, Johor topped the air pollutant index chart with a reading of 68, followed by Banting, Selangor and Bakar Arang, Kedah with 66.

In Butterworth, the prolonged hot spell in the state had triggered 700 bush fires in the past three months.

Penang Fire and Rescue Department director Azmi Tamat said the number of bush fires had escalated and the department expected the drought to continue throughout this month.

He said firemen also had a tough time tackling open fires due to some sites which are geographically isolated, such as the blaze in Bukit Gambir early yesterday.

In Ipoh, the drought has taken its toll on the forested area in northern Perak with fire raging through a section of the green canopy near Banding Lake, at the Royal Belum border.

Perak Fire and Rescue Department assistant director in charge of operations Wan Azmi Ahmad said their personnel encountered difficulties reaching the area due to the terrain.

"As of now, I was told that the team are using boats to cross the large lake. From there they will have to hike to the affected area to assess the situation."

Despite being the wettest town in Malaysia, Taiping has not been spared water woes since the dry spell began.

"Taiping has been experiencing low pressure since Chinese New Year," said Perak Water Board general manager Datuk Mohd Yusof Mohd Isa.

He said the board had been sending water tankers to Taiping to resolve the situation.

Yusof also advised Perak's 2.4 million population to use water sparingly as the drought season was expected to continue until next month.

In Kuantan, firefighters were kept busy battling a peat fire at an oil palm plantation near the Endau-Rompin Forest Reserve in Rompin.

State Fire and Rescue Department director Datuk Abdul Wahab Mat Yassin said firefighters from Rompin and Kuantan would ensure that the fire does not spread into the forest reserve and destroy the rich fauna and flora there.

"We believe that the fire could have caused by open burning." Additional reporting by Jaspal Singh, Aliza Shah and Iskandar Tajuddin

Malaysia, Ipoh: Massive forest fire puts dept on full alert
The Star 13 Feb 14;

IPOH: The state Fire and Rescue Department is on full alert over a massive fire that has engulfed almost 60ha of forest near Tasik Bersia in Gerik.

A spokesman at the rescue operations centre said they received a report on the fire at 11am on Tuesday but they had yet to find out how and when it started.

He said initial investigations showed that there were no villages or settlements around the affected area.

“An operations centre was set up some 15km away from the fire zone so that we could get first-hand updates on the situation there,” he said.

State Fire and Rescue Department director Yahaya Madis said they would do the necessary to prevent the fire from spreading.

He said a rescue team had been deployed to inspect the site.

“We are looking for an alternative route to get there. Our operations are hindered by many geographical restrictions on the mountainous land.

“We are seeking a shorter route through waterways so that we can get there as soon as possible,” he said.

Yahaya said he had ordered about 190 officers and members from all over the state to join the operations.

Number has tripled due to dry spell, says D-G
The Star 13 Feb 14;

PETALING JAYA: The number of forest and bushfires nationwide has tripled due to the current dry spell.

Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim said the country recorded an average of 300 forest fires daily compared to 100 on normal days.

“The states with the most number of cases are Selangor, Johor and Perak,” he said yesterday.

According to Wan Mohd Nor, another contributing factor to forest fires was open burning by irresponsible people.

“An open burning can spread like wildfire if it is allowed to continue.

“In the current dry weather, small fires, whether to burn rubbish or other items, can easily become larger and lead to forest fires,” he said.

Wan Mohd Nor also cautioned smokers against flicking cigarette butts in areas that could cause accidental fires.

“More than 13,000 department personnel are on stand-by in case the situation worsens,” he said.

In PUTRAJAYA, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Jamil Khir Baharom urged mosques and surau to organise a solat hajat (special prayer) for the current dry spell to end.

He said they could organise the prayer after Friday prayers tomorrow. As for surau, the prayer could be organised at its committees’ convenience, he said.

Meanwhile, rainfall in several areas in the Klang Valley yesterday provided some respite for the Kuala Lumpur Fire and Rescue Depart­ment’s battle against bushfires.

Deputy director Azizan Ismail said the rain had made their job easier in battling a spate of bushfires around Bukit Jalil area.

The department has faced a series of bushfires since early this week due to the hot weather.

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