El Nino likely in 2014, says Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Colin Packham PlanetArk 26 Mar 14;

Climate models show an increased chance of a 2014 El Nino weather event, said Australia's bureau of meteorology, leading to possible droughts in Southeast Asia and Australia and floods in South America, which could hit key rice, wheat and sugar crops.

The Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said an El Nino could occur during the southern hemisphere winter, May-July, with Australian cattle and grain farmers already struggling with drought which has cut production.

The last El Nino in 2009/10 was categorized weak to moderate. The most severe El Nino was in 1998 when freak weather killed more than 2,000 people and caused billions of dollars in damage to crops, infrastructure and mines in Australia and other parts of Asia.

"The latest climate model survey by the shows that the tropical Pacific is very likely to warm in the coming months, with most models showing sea surface temperatures reaching El Nino thresholds during the southern hemisphere winter," the BOM said in an emailed statement.

Australia's outlook echoes similar forecasts from other weather bureaus in Japan and the United States, which each said an El Nino was increasingly like.

(Reporting by Colin Packham)

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China says polluting industry still growing too fast, heavy smog alert for Beijing

David Stanway PlanetArk 26 Mar 14;

China's energy-hungry, high-polluting industries continued to grow too fast in 2013, putting "huge pressures" on the environment and causing air quality to worsen, the country's pollution agency said on Tuesday.

Premier Li Keqiang "declared war" on pollution in a major policy address this month, but China has long struggled to strike a balance between protecting the environment and keeping up economic growth.

China is still too slow in reforming its resource-intensive economy, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said in a statement on its website (www.mep.gov.cn).

"The pace of restructuring and upgrading industries has slowed, the mode of development remains crude, and emissions of atmospheric pollutants have long exceeded environmental capacity," it said.

Rapid urbanisation brought dust from new housing and road building, while more traffic increased emissions. Slower wind speeds than usual in northern China were an additional contributing factor last year.

Only three out of 74 Chinese cities fully complied with state pollution standards in 2013, the ministry said earlier this month.

Separately, the official Xinhua news agency said that the meteorological office had issued another heavy smog alert for Beijing, its neighbouring city of Tianjin and for the province of Hebei.

The smog is expected to last until Friday, when it will be dispersed by a cold front, the report said.

Beijing's mayor promised in January to spend 15 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) on improving air quality this year as part of an "all-out effort" to tackle pollution, though similar pledges in the past have brought little improvement.

Pollution is an increasing concern for China's leaders, keen to forestall potential unrest as affluent city dwellers turn against the growth-at-all-costs economic model that has tainted much of the country's air, water and soil.

(Reporting by David Stanway; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Raissa Kasolowsky)

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Best of our wild blogs: 25 Mar 14

Massive Malaysian reclamation off Western Catchment has begun?
from wild shores of singapore

March is month of Durian Flowers and Little Piggies
from Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs

Von Schrenck’s Bittern confronts a mudskipper
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Exisle
from The annotated budak

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PUB team to study use of groundwater

The Straits Times AsiaOne 25 Mar 14;

SINGAPORE - Singapore has ramped up efforts to study extracting its underground water for use.

National water agency PUB has formed a team of international experts to advise it, and will dig its first exploratory monitoring wells in the next few months.

It is interested in the subterranean Jurong rock formation in western Singapore, which could hold water-bearing layers of rock called aquifers.

Even if Singapore is unable to extract substantial water from them regularly, such aquifers could act as "water banks" for drought periods, said PUB chief technology officer Harry Seah.

While there is "no timeline" for when this water could contribute to Singapore's supply, the exploratory efforts will help to prepare the country, he said.

"We are building up our expertise in the field... and if groundwater does become feasible, we will have a ready team to manage the groundwater resource," he said.

The PUB plans to install 20 to 30 monitoring wells in western Singapore and then monitor the flow of water through them for six to 12 months.

These wells will be about 5cm wide and 10m to 20m deep. Their locations are being worked out, but likely options include green verges alongside roads and other public areas.

The answers sought include where rainwater goes after it seeps into the ground.

"For example, we want to know how much of it goes vertically down into aquifers, and how much horizontal movement there is instead," said Mr Seah.

This information will be useful when Singapore looks into how much water is available, how much of it can be extracted safely and the rate of extraction that would allow rainfall here to naturally replace the removed water.

To speed up the study process, PUB has asked six experts around the world for help. They include: Lord Ronald Oxburgh, a noted geologist and geophysicist; Professor Ken Howard, president of the International Association of Hydrogeologists and an expert in urban groundwater management; and Mr Roy Herndon, chief hydrogeologist at the Orange County Water District in California, which has been extracting groundwater for decades.

Although he played down suggestions by reporters that underground water could be Singapore's fifth tap - after imports from Malaysia, used water and treated seawater and rainwater - Mr Seah said that there is always urgency for the PUB to explore new ideas.

The PUB studied underground water in eastern Singapore's old alluvium geology in the 1990s, but the data from the technology and method used then did not give the agency "adequate confidence" that extracting the water would be sustainable or safe.

"As Singapore progresses, the water demand will keep growing," he said. "If we continue with business as usual, the energy needed will grow much faster as we ramp up desalination and Newater (used water) to meet demand. It's not sustainable."

While the PUB has embarked on research to reduce the energy needed for water treatment, "groundwater is freshwater", said Mr Seah.

"If we have abundant rainwater, we can inject some into the ground, increase our storage... extract the water to meet our demand and give us more buffer for drought."

PUB to monitor groundwater in western, southern Singapore
Monica Kotwani Channel NewsAsia 25 Mar 14;

ORANGE COUNTY, California: Singapore's national water agency, PUB, will embark on a second stage of collecting groundwater data in western and southern Singapore.

This is part of a feasibility study into extracting groundwater, or possibly using porous rocks as underground reservoirs.

PUB said this while visiting this year's Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize winners, the Orange County Water District, which has been tapping and studying its groundwater resource for decades.

In California, PUB is studying how Orange County Water District has been managing its groundwater since the 1930s.

Over the next few months, PUB will drill between 20 and 30 wells at various parts of a 200-million-year-old area in Singapore known as the Jurong Formation.

The monitoring wells measure about five centimetres wide, and will be drilled to different depths of between 10 and 20 metres.

Each well will have narrow openings at different levels to collect information such as whether water flows vertically or horizontally, as well as water quality -- whether it is fresh or brackish water.

The idea is to study the feasibility of extracting groundwater as another water source, or using the porous rock underground as storage space for water collected on the surface.

Harry Seah, chief technology officer at PUB, said: "We are a very small, tiny island and we are densely populated, and water demand will grow over time. And we need to develop ways and means to increase the amount of water that can come out of 710 sq km of land.

“So if I can't go horizontally, I must go vertically. That's why this groundwater thing is a study that we are looking into, in a way, to address whether I can increase storage within the 710 sq kilometres. So imagine you have a multi-layered storage, and it's nature's -- it's free. And it’s the same concept that they are doing here in Orange County.”

Compared with Orange County, which has been working with groundwater for decades, Singapore's own journey with groundwater is still at its infancy. PUB said this is where an international panel with its expertise comes in.

PUB said the panel will guide them on the conduct of the study, and look into concerns such as land subsidence due to over-pumping of groundwater, and seawater intrusion.

The panel is made up of six experts, including the Water District's chief hydro-geologist Roy Herndon.

Mr Herndon said: "Given that Singapore is an island and if the data indicate that there are some significant groundwater resources that may be developed in the future, in the long run, seawater intrusion I believe would be something that will be a key part of Singapore's groundwater understanding."

Orange County injects half the used water it recycles underground to prevent seawater from contaminating its groundwater.

The other half is transported to basins, where it seeps into the ground to be extracted after some time.

- CNA/gn

PUB forms team to study groundwater use
Feng Zengkun The Straits Times AsiaOne 27 Mar 14;

ORANGE COUNTY, California - Singapore has ramped up efforts to study whether and how the country's underground water can be extracted for use.

National water agency PUB has formed a team of international experts to advise it, and will dig its first exploratory monitoring wells in the next few months.

It is interested in the subterranean Jurong rock formation in western Singapore, which could hold water-bearing layers of rock called aquifers.

Even if Singapore is unable to extract substantial water from them regularly, such aquifers could act as "water banks" for drought periods, said PUB chief technology officer Harry Seah.

While there is no timeline for when this water could contribute to Singapore's supply, the exploratory efforts will help to prepare the country, he said.

"We are building up our expertise in the field... and if groundwater does become feasible, we will have a ready team to manage the groundwater resource."

The PUB plans to install 20 to 30 monitoring wells in western Singapore and monitor the flow of water through them for six to 12 months. These wells will be about 5cm wide and 10m to 20m deep. Their locations are being worked out, but likely options include green verges alongside roads and other public areas.

Among other things, they will help find out where rainwater goes after it seeps into the ground.

"For example, we want to know how much of it goes vertically down into aquifers, and how much horizontal movement there is instead," said Mr Seah.

This information will be useful when Singapore looks into how much water is available, how much of it can be safely extracted, and how fast it can be extracted such that rainfall can naturally replace the removed water.

To speed up the learning process, PUB has asked six experts around the world for help. They include: Lord Ronald Oxburgh, a noted geologist and geophysicist; Professor Ken Howard, president of the International Association of Hydrogeologists and an expert in urban groundwater management; and Mr Roy Herndon, chief hydrogeologist at the Orange County Water District in California, which has been extracting groundwater for decades.

Although he played down suggestions by reporters that underground water could be Singapore's fifth tap - after imports from Malaysia, recycled used water and treated seawater and rainwater - Mr Seah added that there is always urgency for the PUB to explore new ideas.

The PUB studied underground water in eastern Singapore in the 1990s, but the data from the technology used then did not give the agency "adequate confidence" that extracting the water would be sustainable or safe.

"As Singapore progresses, the water demand will keep growing. If we continue with business as usual, the energy needed will grow much faster as we ramp up desalination and Newater to meet demand. It's not sustainable," said Mr Seah.

While the PUB has embarked on research to reduce the energy needed for water treatment, "groundwater is freshwater", he added. "If we have abundant rainwater, we can inject some into the ground, increase our storage... extract the water to meet our demand and give us more buffer for drought."

LKY Water Prize winner to help S"pore extract groundwater
Feng Zengkun The Straits Times AsiaOne 27 Mar 14;

SINGAPORE will have the benefit of learning from the best if it wants to extract underground water to add to its supply.

The Orange County Water District (OCWD) in California was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize last month for its pioneering work in groundwater management and water re-use.

The district manages a large underground basin that supplies about 70 per cent of water for 2.4 million people in arid southern California.

The OCWD's chief hydrogeologist Roy Herndon, who oversees the basin's water quality among other things, is one of six experts the PUB has tapped to help Singapore on its own groundwater journey.

He said that since Singapore is an island, it will have to study how to prevent seawater intrusion, where the seawater contaminates the underground water. Orange County uses hydraulic barriers.

Parts of California have experienced land subsidence, where extracting groundwater caused the ground to compress and sink.

"In Orange County, that has not been a problem," said Mr Herndon. "We minimised the risk by not allowing groundwater levels to go too low in the basin."

The Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize award ceremony and banquet will be held on June 2, during the Singapore International Water Week from June 1 to 5.

The OCWD will receive $300,000, a certificate and a gold medallion.

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Singapore version of Songkran to be dry affair

MyPaper AsiaOne 25 Mar 14;

SINGAPORE - Singapore's first Songkran festival will be a dry one.

The organisers of Celebrate Songkran 2014, the local version of Thailand's water festival, will be removing all water splashing activities from the event in the light of the recent dry spell here.

During the festivities in Thailand, Thais throw water at each other in a traditional new year blessing.

In a press release issued yesterday, the event's organisers said that the decision was made after "extensive discussions".

Instead, the carnival area of the event will be enlarged, and more rides, games and activities will be held.

A water conservation and heritage exhibition will be held jointly with PUB, the national water agency, during the festival.

"We are confident that removing water splashing activities from the event will not remove the true meaning of Songkran," said the organisers.

"We wish to do our part for water, especially having recently gone through the longest dry spell in Singapore."

The event, to be held at the Padang on April 12 and 13, has ruffled some feathers in Thailand.

The Bangkok Post recently reported on a Thai Ministry of Culture official's threat to sue festival organisers for hijacking the festival.

Singapore's 1st Songkran water festival goes dry
Melody Zaccheus The Straits Times AsiaOne 27 Mar 14;

There will be no water pistol fights, celebrity dunk stations, or really, any kind of water fun at Singapore's first Songkran water festival on April 12 and 13.

The organisers of Celebrate Songkran 2014 at the Padang have taken heed of the national campaign to conserve water and nixed the water-based activities.

Instead, they will host a Water Conservation and Water Heritage Exhibition in conjunction with national water agency PUB.

The organisers said this was appropriate in view of the recent dry spell and current moves to cut back on water usage.

Though lighting designer Sanischaya Mankhongphithakkul, 25, agrees with the rationale, it still feels a little odd. "What's a water festival without water?"

During Songkran, celebrated every year during the Thai New Year from April 13 to 15, thousands take to the streets to douse each other with water guns and buckets.

Event organiser Leo Chin, 38, said the reworked concept does not detract from the celebration of water. "Water can either be saved or wasted. In this case, we have chosen to save it."

While he is bracing himself for some backlash, he does not expect it to affect the target of 10,000 participants over the two days.

Mr Chin said he cancelled all water-related activities after he had public feedback expressing concern about water wastage. He approached the PUB last week to explore how the event could support water conservation efforts.

Confirming this with The Straits Times, a PUB spokesman said: "While some rain has returned, the recent dry spell is a good reminder for all of us to not take our water for granted, and to conserve water."

Other activities at the event, costing more than half a million, will go on as planned. They include a bazaar of 30 vendors, a family carnival with rides and games and a muay thai tournament. Admission is free for these.

Another highlight is a planned two-day music festival which has sold more than 1,000 tickets, at $35 for each day. The concert will be headlined by American electro-hip hop act Far East Movement and feature Thai artists such as Film Rattapoom and Four Mod.

Meanwhile the festival, which is co-organised by event logistics company JBozz Consultants, has drawn flak in Thailand for riding on the well-known tradition.

The Bangkok Post reported last Wednesday that the director of the surveillance bureau at Thailand's Ministry of Culture, Ms Yupa Taweewattanakijbaworn, had threatened to sue festival organisers for undermining the values of the Thai festival.

Thailand's Songkran festivities are an attraction, drawing more than two million visitors from countries such as China, Japan and Australia in April last year.

It is also celebrated in Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, and by ethnic groups and tribes in China, Sri Lanka and India.

In Singapore, which has more than 50,000 Thais, celebrations are often held at venues such as Golden Mile Complex. The first level of the mall is sometimes transformed into a dance floor, and celebrants splash each other with water - sometimes from several storeys above.

Assistant Professor Suwichit Chaidaroon at Nanyang Technological University said the move to bring Songkran to Singaporeshows an appreciation of Songkran and Thai culture.

The Singapore office of the Tourism Authority of Thailand told The Straits Times it hopes the festival will be "depicted correctly" to ensure the true essence of Thai traditions and Songkran will not be lost or misrepresented. This could also help drive tourists to Thailand.

"Songkran, without a doubt, can only be experienced truly in Thailand," said its director Kanokkittika Kritwutikon.

Water or no water, landscape architect and expatriate Kanokwal Preechakul, 30, said she is looking forward to the festival. "I can't return to Thailand anyway so I will attend the festival to take in the party atmosphere."

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Rise in number of animal welfare groups

Joy Fang Today Online 25 Mar 14;

SINGAPORE — The number of animal welfare groups has burgeoned in recent years, doubling in only five years, said advocates.

While some feel this may result in the dilution of donor dollars and an overlap of work scope, others applaud the growth as a sign of greater awareness about animal welfare.

Some groups, for instance, feel that the newcomers will bring about new approaches to tackle perennial problems. In a sign of increasing cooperation, some have also begun talks with the Ministry of National Development (MND) to share a piece of land and build a joint shelter.

Mr Ricky Yeo, President of Action for Singapore Dogs (ASD), whose group is one of those involved, said they are proposing a piece of land that is about 1ha to 2ha in size to house around 400 dogs.

When contacted, an MND spokesperson confirmed that it has received a joint proposal from ASD, Animal Lovers League and Save Our Street Dogs, on a proposed national adoption centre.

“We are currently evaluating the proposal and seeking clarifications from the animal welfare groups on the details of their proposal,” said the spokesperson.

Nonetheless, animal welfare groups TODAY interviewed felt there is a need for a centralised body to coordinate efforts.

Currently, a group can choose to be registered as a society, a charity or a public company limited by guarantee, so advocates say they have to rely on anecdotal evidence to suss out how many there are. Informal groups formed by like-minded individuals have also sprouted up in recent years, as they increasingly take advantage of cyberspace.

New registered groups in recent years include Humane Society (Singapore), Save Our Street Dogs and Causes for Animals.

Some informal groups that have surfaced in the past five years include LostPaws Singapore, which helps abandoned animals find a home, and Pets Looking For Adoption, which coordinates adoption requests.

Ms Cathy Strong, Founder of Animal Lovers League, feels that there should be fewer groups, as she fears that resources may be overstretched.

“This is Singapore, there is not much land. So people should think twice, three times, before they start a shelter.”

Ms Corinne Fong, Executive Director for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, noted that informal groups are not required to comply with financial regulations, but may ask for donations, risking the abuse and misuse of funds. She said receipts should be made available on request and that a regulatory body should be set up to oversee all animal welfare groups.

Informal groups TODAY spoke to say they have their place, too, as many were formed out of passion or to tackle gaps that they think are unaddressed. They say donors need to be discerning and make responsible decisions, such as visiting the animals at the shelters, checking bills and donating to vets personally.

Mr Louis Ng, Chief Executive of Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), said the key is for everyone to collaborate and work together to tackle the issues.

Meanwhile, Ms Eunice Nah, Volunteer Chief Advocate of Agency for Animal Welfare, suggested that an “official council of animal welfare leaders” could be formed to set “a gold standard of practice”.

A spokesperson for the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) said animal welfare issues have gained prominence in recent years, which reflects civic consciousness and a maturity about the treatment of animals.

The AVA is currently working with 12 registered societies.

“While the AVA does not govern nor accredit any animal welfare groups, we are open to working with all registered animal welfare groups to achieve common goals and outcomes,” she said.

“Everyone has a part to play in enhancing animal welfare in Singapore.”


Much to consider before starting animal rescue
Corinne Fong, Executive Director, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Today Online 29 Mar 14;

Besides what was reported in “Rise in number of animal welfare groups” (March 25), I was asked another question. “If someone wants to form an informal group and go around saving dogs and putting them up for adoption — is this allowed or encouraged? What do you think should or should not be done?”

I responded: “Go for it.”

But starting an informal group, saving dogs and putting them up for adoption is not as easy as it seems. Any group wishing to start a rescue group must consider several factors.

First and foremost, is it a long-term objective and does the group have a viable financial plan for the long haul? Can a continuous income stream be secured to take care of rescue, feeding, and veterinary and other operating costs?

One must realistically assess income needs and the amount needed in order to raise funds to sustain operations. One must be transparent when dealing with public funds and open the books for auditing.

Second, does the group have enough volunteers to feed, retrieve and foster the animals? Rescuing animals is an exhaustive affair not for the faint-hearted. Thus, a big support network of rescuers, feeders, fosterers and vets is needed.

And how long can these volunteers last? Can they identify successors to carry on, should the founders leave the group?

A third major consideration: Has the group identified a place to house these animals? Whether it buys or rents land, building and cleaning costs must be considered, along with a utilities connection and payments.

Does it depend instead on existing shelters and commercial boarding places? Due to the oft-heard “land is scarce” and “shelters are full”, rescue groups often look for alternative sites or temporary foster care to house their charges.

Running a rescue requires a huge financial commitment and is a major responsibility, which requires passion and belief.

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More student organisations collaborating to create clean and green environment

Alice Chia Channel NewsAsia 24 Mar 14;

SINGAPORE: More student organisations are collaborating in ground-up initiatives to create a cleaner and greener environment.

This comes on the back of government efforts to empower youths to create a sustainable community.

One example is the South West Youth ECo Challenge Fund -- which was launched in January -- where youths can get funding to develop environmental campaigns.

Some 500 students and staff of Nanyang Technological University (NTU) are taking part in Greenfest Envisage.

It aims to raise awareness of environmental issues and get more people to take up environmentally-friendly measures.

Participants will better understand green activities such as recycling and nature guiding.

The event, which takes place from March 24-26, is organised by environmental club EarthlinkNTU in collaboration with student organisations, companies and research institutions.

Dr Amy Khor, Mayor of South West District and Senior Minister of State for Health, graced the opening ceremony on Monday.

Ryan Jin Zhanhe, president of EarthlinkNTU, said: "This year, NTU has initiated a collaboration with the other universities' environmental club. The project, Ditch Da Disposable, will push for the student activities to reduce the use of disposables in their events, such as cutlery, containers and cups.

“We would like to use this campaign to encourage student activities to reduce the use of disposables and eventually push this round to all other student activities as well, with the key idea -- to green ourselves before we can green others."

- CNA/ms

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Malaysia: Open burning main cause of fires

New Straits Times 25 Mar 14;

KEPALA BATAS: Land-clearing by open burning has been identified as the main source of bush fires in the country, said Fire and Rescue Department director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim.

He said the main culprits for more than 90 per cent of bush fires reported to date were those who wanted a quicker and cheaper way of clearing bushes for small-scale agricultural activities.

"We receive between 200 and 300 calls on bush fires nationwide daily.

"The majority of them involved bush fires and most of the cases were caused by those wanting to clear bush land for small-scale farming," he said after giving away commendation letters to 142 firemen in the northern states.

He said the department received 17,000 telephone calls on bush and peat fires between Jan 15 and March 15 this year.

"In comparison, we received about the same number of calls on bush and peat fires for the first six months of last year.

"That is how serious the problem is now," he said, adding that everyone should be concerned and take steps to stop open burning in light of the current hot and dry spell.

He said unless the matter was checked, haze could worsen in many parts of the country.

'Cloud seeding to continue in west coast'
MASTURA YUSOFF AND QISTINA HAMIZAN New Straits Times 25 Mar 14;

MET DEPT: Necessary due to critical water levels

KUALA LUMPUR: CLOUD seeding will continue to replenish water levels at dams nationwide.

Malaysian Meteorological Department (MMD) director-general Datuk Che Gayah Ismail said cloud seeding remained an option despite the rainfall. She said cloud seeding was necessary as the water level in dams across peninsular Malaysia were critical.

"We will monitor clouds at the dam areas that are suitable for cloud seeding every day. As soon as there are suitable clouds for cloud seeding, we will send the aircraft for the job."

Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Dr Abu Bakar Mohamad Diah said cloud seedings would be carried out at the Muda and Pedu dams in Kedah; Klang Gates Dam in Kuala Lumpur; and Jus Dam in Jasin, Malacca.

He said Cessna aircraft will be used for the operations, which will start in the north, namely in Kedah and to the South in Johor.

Meanwhile, the air quality nationwide yesterday was good except for 11 areas, which recorded moderate levels of Air Pollutant Index (API) as of 5pm.

The areas were Shah Alam ,with an API reading of 58, Kuala Selangor (64), Port Klang (52), Sibu (52), Kota Kinabalu (51), USM (62), Perai (53), Kangar (54), S K Jalan Pegoh (60) Jalan Tasek (54) and Balok Baru (58). The other 41 areas recorded good API readings.

A reading of between 0 and 50 is categorised as good, 51 and 100 as moderate, 101 and 200 as unhealthy, 201 and 300 as very unhealthy and 300 and above as hazardous.

Department of Environment director-general Datuk Halimah Hassan said they would continue monitoring the air quality through 52 stations nationwide to identify changes in the API.

"The current heavy rain during inter-monsoon season helps to improve weather condition," she told the New Straits Times.

Read more!

Indonesia: Shrinking Forests Hamper Orangutan Release

Tunggadewa Mattangkilang Jakarta Globe 24 Mar 14;

Balikpapan. Ten orangutans have been released back into the wild in East Kalimantan after recovery in the Samboja Lestari rehabilitation center.

The six female and four male orangutans were set free in the Kehjesewen conservation forest in the East Kutai district of East Kalimantan on Thursday by the Borneo Orangutan Survival Foundation (Yayasan BOS).

“In 2014 we began our program by releasing 10 orangutans back into the wild. We are optimistic that we will be able to release more orangutans into their natural habitat — but this has to be supported by the existence of quality, safe forests,” said Samboja Lestari program manager Agus Irwanto.

Agus said the BOS was committed to achieving the release target set up in the Indonesian Orangutan Conservation Action Plan for 2007-2017, announced by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono during the climate change conference in Bali in 2007. The plan calls for all orangutans in rehabilitation centers to be released back into their natural habitats by 2015.

Agus said that so far the BOS had released 31 orangutans back into natural forests. But more orangutans could be released if deforestation was halted, he said.

“We really hope that all stakeholders will support [orangutan] release by ensuring the provision of decent and safe forests in the future,” he said.

Agus said orangutans were facing extinction in the wild because of fast-paced deforestation driven largely by clearing for oil palm and pulp and paper plantations, most of which are owned by large conglomerates rather than local farmers.

Wildlife experts warn that shrinking habitats have increased contact between the forest-dwelling orangutans and villagers and is the primary cause of an upswing in human-on-animal violence in Kalimantan and Sumatra.

Authorities have recorded a disturbing number of cases of people killing the endangered creatures, both deliberately and incidentally by felling and burning the forests they live in.

Examples include a female orangutan that died in 2010 in Pontianak’s Sungai Pinyuh subdistrict after being captured by villagers with her baby, and another orangutan killed in 2012 near Pontianak’s Parit Wak Dongkak subdistrict after sustaining serious burns in a fire lit for land clearance. The animal died while being treated for its injuries.

In October last year, an orangutan was found dead in Pontianak’s Peniraman village, with its skull reportedly bashed in.

One of the most biodiverse countries, Indonesia has seen huge swaths of forest cut down for timber and agribusiness. The country was home to nearly half of the world’s oil palm plantations in 2006 after years of concession land grabs, illegal logging and lax law enforcement, according to the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Palm oil is the world’s most ubiquitous vegetable oil and a main driver of deforestation in Indonesia.

Read more!

Indonesia: 416 fires detected across Sumatra

The Jakarta Post 24 Mar 14;

At least 416 fires in peatland and forested areas were recorded on Monday across Sumatra with Riau having the largest number of hotspots, totaling 294, according to surveillance data from the Terra satellite.

Of the total fires in Riau, 56 were detected in Rokan Ilir regency, followed by Bengkalis with 51 fires, Siak with 46, Indragiri Hulu with 36, Pelalawan with 33, Dumai city with 27 and the others in other regencies, the Riau Haze Mitigation Task Force said as reported by Antara news agency.

The task force members, in cooperation with representatives from the Riau Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), would continue in their efforts to fight the fires, which have caused thick, choking haze not only in local cities but also out in neighboring countries Singapore and Malaysia, BPBD head Said Saqlul Amri said.

The authorities also plan to intensify law enforcement measures against perpetrators who are conducting rampant land-clearance activities, primarily with slash-and-burn methods, which have caused the fires.

Since the reoccurrence of severe haze in Riau this year, the Riau Police had received 44 reports of forest and peatland fires in nine regencies and municipalities across the province, Riau Police chief Brig. Gen. Condro Kirono said.

He added that their investigations into five of the 44 reports were still at a preliminary stage, while 16 other cases had progressed to more in-depth investigation. (yln)

Read more!

Indonesian pulp and paper giant says is "victim" of forest haze

Michael Taylor Reuters 24 Mar 14;

(Reuters) - Forest fires and haze have become so bad in northern Sumatra that a Indonesian pulp and paper company held partly responsible by green groups has declared itself as a casualty, saying the environmental catastrophe was costing it millions of dollars.

Criticism of palm oil plantation owners and companies like Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), Asia's second-largest pulp and paper firm, intensified after Indonesia's Riau province declared a state of emergency in late February.

A study released earlier this month by World Resources Institute (WRI) found that 36 percent of fires in Sumatra from Feb. 20 to March 12, were in pulpwood plantation areas.

The think tank said the concessions with the highest share of fire alerts include many that are affiliated with APRIL and rival Asia Pulp & Paper Group (APP).

"We are the victim of this entire situation," APRIL's president Praveen Singhavi told Reuters, estimating the cost to the company was between $5-6 million.

Singhavi said the illegal burning was largely the fault of small-holders using slash and burn methods, and fires in APRIL's concessions were in areas overlapping or disputed with local communities. An unusually early start to the dry season had exacerbated the fire risk, he added.

The APRIL president advocated a combined effort from corporate, government and local communities to tackle the forest fires and haze.

In its report WRI said: "Under Indonesian law, the companies do bear responsibility for fires on their land, even if they did not start the fires. Fires are symptoms of longstanding poor forest and land management."

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had to apologise to neighbours Singapore and Malaysia in mid-2013, when those countries were blanketed with thick smog from forest fires in Indonesia.

Both palm and pulp and paper companies have been criticised by green groups for not doing enough to stop the annual haze problem or the rampant deforestation and destruction of carbon-rich peatlands in Indonesia.

APRIL, an unlisted company, owns plantations covering around 460,000 hectares, and according to its president it operates a strict 'no-burn' policy.

Earlier this month, the firm suspended forestry operations on an island off Sumatra and transferred 130 staff to fire lines to protect its plantations. It has deployed its own 600-strong fire-fighting team, helicopters and pumping equipment to tackle the fires, and said on its website that it had lost 400 hectares since January to illegal burning.

Rival APP has said it would stop using timber from Indonesia's natural forests and only use trees from plantations.

In January, APRIL also launched new sustainability policies that will halt plantation expansion by the end of this year and only use supplies from its own plantations by 2019. (Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)

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Most Of Indonesia's Major Rivers Heavily Polluted, Says Environment Minister

Elmi Rizal Elias Bernama 24 Mar 14;

JAKARTA, March 24 (Bernama) -- Seventy-five per cent of the major rivers in Indonesia are heavily polluted, Environment Minister Balthasar Kambuaya said Monday.

He said 60 per cent of the cause of the pollution was domestic waste.

"Of the 57 major rivers monitored for their water quality last year, 75 per cent were found to be heavily polluted," he was quoted as saying by Antara news agency when opening a technical meeting on the monitoring of water quality in Indonesia in Bengkulu City.

The meeting, attended by representatives of environmental organisations, serves as a platform to discuss the causes of pollution and strategies to preserve river water quality in the country.

River pollution was closely linked to the behaviour of the people, Balthasar said, adding that the industrial sector also contributed to the pollution of rivers.

"Rivers are regarded as the most strategic places to discard rubbish when they are actually the sources of the raw water that we utilise," he said.

-- BERNAMA

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