Hazy conditions in Singapore to persist in coming days

Today Online 5 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE — The haze that has hung over Singapore this past week is expected to linger, with the 24-hour Pollutants Standards Index (PSI) expected to be in the high end of the moderate range (51 to 100) today (Sept 5), ­authorities said.

This is even as air quality improved yesterday, after deteriorating during the week as hot spots in Sumatra continued to be detected.

As at 7pm yesterday, the 24-hour PSI was 71 to 80 and the one-hour PM2.5 was 17 to 30 mcg/m3. “The number of hotspots detected in Sumatra decreased to 50 today from 111 yesterday. The lower hotspot count was due to cloud cover over central parts of Sumatra. Moderate to dense smoke haze was observed in southern Sumatra,” the National Environment Agency (NEA) said.

A day earlier, the NEA had warned of 24-hour PSI creeping into the low-end of the unhealthy range (101 to 200) amid worsening air quality, and had said the haze situation would be unlikely to change significantly in the next few days, due to dry weather conditions in the region. As at 9pm on Thursday, the 24-hour PSI was between 82 and 94, while the three-hour PSI reading hit a high of 107 at 11am, before falling to 83 at 9pm.

However, conditions yesterday were less severe than expected. In the course of the week, the number of hot spots detected daily rose from 29 last Sunday, to 395 on Wednesday, before falling on Thursday.

NEA chief executive officer Ronnie Tay wrote to his Indonesian counterpart this week to “register Singapore’s concerns” and seek an urgent update on the situation on the ground. The NEA also reiterated Singapore’s offer of an assistance package to Indonesia to help the country combat smoke haze.

Yesterday, the NEA said the prevailing winds are forecast to blow from the southeast today. “Singapore may experience occasional slightly hazy conditions. Thundery showers are forecast in the late morning and early afternoon. The 24-hour PSI for the next 24 hours is expected to be in the high end of moderate range,” the agency said.

The NEA also said everyone can continue with normal activities, but the impact of haze is dependent on one’s health status, the PSI level, and the length and intensity of outdoor activity. “Persons who are not feeling well, especially the elderly and children, and those with chronic heart or lung conditions, should seek medical attention,” it added.

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Malaysia: Number of hotspots in Sumatra down

The Star 5 Sep 15;

PUTRAJAYA: The num­­­­­­­ber of hotspots in Sumatra has reduced significantly from 395 on Thursday to 110 yesterday.

Coupled with the change in the wind direction in the northern peninsula, air quality in many areas that previously recorded unhealthy condition had improved.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said that except Alor Star where the Air Pollutant Index (API) reading was 83, the reading in most of other areas were below 70.

“The change in the wind direction is blowing the haze back to Sumatra,” he told newsmen after a working visit to the Lands and Mines Director-General Department here.

Dr Wan Junaidi said his planned visit to Indonesia on Sept 17 and 18 to meet his counterpart on the matter was still on.

“I am still going because there are other issues involving the two countries that need to be ironed out urgently,” he said.

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Indonesia: Haze from Sumatra's wildfires likely to affect Malaysia, Singapore

Antara 4 Sep 15;

Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - Haze has engulfed almost all regions on Sumatra Island and is mostly likely to affect Malaysia and Singapore, according to a meteorology analyst.

"This morning's data shows that almost every province across Sumatra Island has been shrouded by haze, from South Sumatra, Jambi, West Sumatra, Riau, and Medan up to Aceh," Sugarin, the head of the Pekanbaru meteorology station, stated here, Friday.

According to Sugarin, only small parts of Sumatra Island such as Lampung and Bengkulu Provinces are free from haze.

On Friday noon, the visibility in Riau decreased to 700 meters due to the haze arising from South Sumatra, Jambi, and Riau itself. The wind was blowing from south to north, he noted.

"If the fires are not handled properly, the haze situation will worsen and most likely cross into the neighboring countries as the wind is blowing from south to north," he added.

Based on the Terra and Aqua satellites' monitoring at 5 a.m. local time on Friday, there were 362 hotspots across Sumatra Island.

Some 173 hotspots were detected in South Sumatra Province, 148 in Jambi, 31 in Riau, eight in Bangka Belitung, and one each in Lampung and West Sumatra.

In the meantime, the police officers in East Aceh distributed face masks to the local inhabitants to protect them from developing respiratory infections due to exposure to haze, which is shrouding parts of Aceh Province.

Some 10 thousand face masks were distributed to the people who were engaged in outdoor activities, Chief of East Aceh Adjunct Senior Commission Hendri Budiman remarked in Idi, Thursday.

East Aceh, Lhokseumawe, and North Aceh Districts have been affected by the haze arising from Sumatras peatland and bush fires.

According to the Blang Bintang meteorology station in Aceh Besar District, no hotspot was detected in Aceh province.

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Indonesia: Dry Season to Peak in October, Fire Risk Will Increase

Jakarta Globe 4 Sep 15;

Jakarta. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) says the dry season will last longer than usual this year and likely peak in October and November due to the El Nino weather phenomenon, with a spokesman warning on Friday about higher risks of wildfires throughout the country in coming months.

BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said this year's El Nino will also make the dry season even drier than usual.

"We predict the dry season to peak from October until November," he told journalists in Jakarta.

Sutopo added that while normally rainy season starts in October, the BNPB's latest prediction is that the rains will only come in early December this year.

"The dry season will be even dryer as there will be less rainfall, therefore the threat of ... fires, especially south of the equator, will increase," he said.

Most of Indonesia, including its most densely populated areas, lie south of the equator.

Several parts of the country will be hardest hit by El Nino, Sutopo said, including southeastern parts of West Sumatra, Bengkulu, Jambi, South Sumatra, Bangka-Belitung, Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, East Nusa Tenggara, South Sulawesi, North Sulawesi and southwestern parts of Maluku.

Environmental group Walhi has warned that Indonesia is already facing a haze emergency because of rampant fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan. Six provinces have already declared a state of emergency over the haze: Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan.

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Indonesia: Jokowi Schedules Riau Trip as Haze Crisis Resurfaces

Jakarta Globe 4 Sep 15;

Jakarta. President Joko Widodo has announced he'll visit haze-hit Riau province "in the coming days," a senior official said on Friday, to help find a solution for the recurring problem of forest fires.

"The president is very concerned about the forest- and wildfires. He'll go to Riau tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, depending on the visibility," Syamsul Maarif, chief of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), told reporters after a meeting with the president at the State Palace in Jakarta.

Data from the BNPB shows that 22.6 million people in Sumatra and Kalimantan could face health problems due to the haze, and visibility in large parts of these islands has been less than 500 meters, forcing airports and schools to close.

Last November, the president, who is also widely known by his nickname Jokowi, made his first Riau visit in connection to rampant fires on Sumatra and Kalimantan, which also often cause transboundary haze problems, affecting neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.

Joko, who has an educational background in forestry, has previously said that farms should be run by local people, rather than corporations, to help curb the haze crisis.

Indonesia's Environment Ministry has said peat fires contributed to 25 percent of the country's carbon emissions between 2000 and 2005, second only to deforestation.

Ahead of a big UN Climate Change conference in Paris in December, the ministry recently announced a more ambitious emissions reduction target: 29 percent by 2030. Currently the nation's target, which was set back in 2009, stands at 26 percent by 2020 and the country has only achieved half so far.

Jokowi calls for intensifying the fight against forest fires
thejakartapost.com 4 Sep 15;

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has called on relevant government agencies to intensify their efforts to extinguish the forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan that have affected transportation and the health of people in those regions.

Chairman of the National Body for Disaster Management (BNPB) Syamsul Maarif said on Friday that the President, among others, had called for establishing more monitoring posts in a number of places in Sumatra and Kalimantan to help the fire fighters to do their jobs more effectively.

“He [the President) told us to immediately hold meetings to discuss the establishment of eight monitoring posts,” said Syamsul as quoted by tribunnews.com at the Presidential Place after meeting with the President.

According to Syamsul, four posts will be established in Sumatra and another four will be established in Kalimantan.

Syamsul said that the number of hotspots had declined in Riau and Jambi on Friday, but had increased in South Sumatra province.

He said personnel from the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police would help his institution to enforce the law against those who intentionally burned forests.

The Home Affairs Ministry has called on governors to declare a state of emergency in their respective provinces if the forest fires become uncontrollable. This declaration, according to Syamsul, was a positive development, but he noted that “what we call disaster here is not forest fires, but the widespread smoke,” he said. (bbn)(++++)

President orders activating command posts to handle smoke from fires
Antara 4 Sep 15;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo has ordered to activate command posts to control and tackle smoke problems in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

"The president has ordered the opening of four command posts in Kalimantan and four in Sumatra," Chief of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Syamsul Maarif stated here on Friday after attending a limited cabinet meeting led by the president at the State Palace.

He noted that the president is giving serious attention to the problem and has also planned to personally inspect the on-field situation.

Syamsul remarked that four measures to be taken to deal with the smoke arising from bush fires, include extinguishing the fires as early as possible, ensuring law enforcement, undertaking health efforts, and informing the public to not set fire for land-clearing activities.

Secretary General of the Ministry of Forestry and Environment Bambang Hendroyono pointed out that, as the field coordinator, his office would work with all concerned parties to immediately overcome the smoke problem.

He stated that a meeting with the military and the police would be held on Saturday to deal with the situation.

Bambang noted that 156 fires had been detected in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

He hoped the smoke problem would be overcome this month.

Activities at the airport in Jambi, Sumatra, had been brought to a standstill, with no flight operations on Friday due to the thick smog covering the area.

The airports chief operator, Parolan Simanjuntak, stated that until late afternoon, 12 flights had been cancelled, and no aircraft had landed at the Sulthan Thaha Airport. He added that only one Garuda flight had departed to Jakarta in the morning after an overnight halt at the airport.

He emphasized that only one aircraft had landed at the airport at 8:30 p.m. local time on Thursday.(*)

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Indonesia: Six Provinces Declare State of Emergency as Haze Worsens

Jakarta Globe 4 Sep 15;

Jakarta. Six Indonesian provinces have declared a state of emergency as haze from wildfires on Sumatra and Kalimantan continues to blanket entire cities, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) said on Friday.

Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said Riau, Jambi, South Sumatra, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and South Kalimantan had all declared haze emergencies.

"There are around 25.6 million Indonesians in Sumatra and Kalimantan who are directly exposed to the haze due to forest fires," the BNPB spokesman said in Jakarta. "They breathe in very unhealthy air, thousands of people are suffering from respiratory tract infections."

Sutopo said that as of Friday morning, no less than 80 percent of Sumatra had been impacted by the smoke to some degree.

"The visibility was less than 500 meters in Pekanbaru and Jambi this morning," he said.

Tri Budiarto, deputy chief for emergency management at BNPB, said that the agency had joined forces with the local administration to build command posts and establish four types of task force in the six provinces.

These four groups would focus on extinguishing fires, law enforcement, educating the public and offering health services to affected communities.

Most of Sumatra blanketed by smoke
Thejakartapost.com 4 Sep 15;

Most regions of Sumatra are currently blanketed by smoke from land and forest fires and the pollution will potentially reach neighboring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore.

"From our data this morning, almost all of Sumatra is covered in smoke, with affected regions including South Sumatra, Jambi, West Sumatra, Riau, Medan and Aceh," said head of the Pekanbaru Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) Sugarin on Friday as quoted by Antara news agency.

Sugarin said that only a few areas were relatively free from air pollution, those including Lampung and parts of Bengkulu.

In Pekanbaru, for instance, the smoke was still thick on Friday afternoon and has reached a hazardous level of air pollution and caused visibility to drop to around 700 meters.

The smoke is said to be coming from land and forest fires in South Sumatra, Jambi and Riau, from which smoke is blown by the wind toward the north, increasing the possibility that it will reach neighboring countries.

According to data from NASA’s Terra and Aqua satellites, there were up to 362 hot spots in Sumatra at 5 a.m. on Friday. Most of them were located in South Sumatra, where there were 173 hot spots, followed by Jambi with 148, Riau with 31, and Bangka Belitung with 8. (kes)

Sumatra suffers as smog spreads
Fadli and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post 4 Sep 15;

Haze shrouding Sumatra continues to thicken and spread, disrupting flights and posing a threat to human health on the island.

The smog has been causing major problems at Hang Nadim International Airport in Batam, Riau Islands, which claims to have suffered losses of Rp 140 million (US$10,000) over the past week as a result of disruptions to flights to and from the mainland.

Hang Nadim’s general division head Suwarso said on Thursday that 35 flights had been either canceled or delayed because of haze since the previous Friday.

“We receive Rp 4 million from every aircraft that lands at the airport, so we’ve lost around Rp 140 million because of the haze,” Suwarso told The Jakarta Post.

The problem, he said, had caused at least five flights from mainland cities such as Jambi, Pekanbaru, Palembang, Lampung and Medan to Hang Nadim to be canceled each day.

In North Sumatra, the management of Kualanamu International Airport reported that haze had caused 20 flight cancellations on Thursday.

Kualanamu duty manager Jasirin said the flights had been canceled because the haze coming from neighboring provinces was very thick, reducing visibility to 800 meters.

“To prevent accidents, we call on airlines not to force themselves to operate in thick haze,” Jasirin said.

Almost all regions in North Sumatra, including Binjai on the border with Aceh, are now covered in haze thought to have drifted from Jambi and Riau provinces.

“All of central Binjai is blanketed in thick haze. It’s very disturbing,” city transportation driver Razman told the Post on Thursday.

Low visibility caused by thick haze has also brought the local airport in Riau to a standstill.

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency’s (BMKG) Pekanbaru station reported that Pekanbaru city and Pelalawan regency were suffering exceptionally low visibility of 200 meters as of 7 a.m. on Thursday.

As of Thursday afternoon, only two flights had taken off from Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport (SSK II) in Pekanbaru.

Crowds of passengers began to amass at the airport as Citilink and other airlines announced the cancellation of all their regularflights.

For safety reasons, at least 15 flights from a number of cities across Indonesia destined for SSK II airport were canceled indefinitely. Previously on Wednesday, 14 flights were delayed for over four hours for the same reason.

Smog was similarly blanketing almost the entirety of West Sumatra province on Thursday, moving boy and girl scouts (Pramuka) in Sawahlunto city to take to the streets to distribute pollution masks to passersby after the local administration failed to do so.

“We only have 500 masks to distribute. They go pretty quickly, as many motorcycle taxi drivers ask for one. They’re worried the haze will make them ill,” the deputy chairman of Pramuka’s Sawahlunto branch, Tumpak Abdurrahman, told the Post on Thursday.

- Rizal Harahap in Pekanbaru and Syofiardi Bachyul Jb in Padang contributed to this story.


Fires Rage On in Sumatra's Largest National Park
Jakarta Globe 4 Sep 15;

Jakarta. A massive fire has flared uncontrollably for three days, burning at least 100 hectares of protected forests in Sumatra's largest national park, a local watchdog said.

"We just informed the Bengkulu Disaster Mitigation Agency [BPBD] about three fire hot spots that have yet to be extinguished for the past three days," Nurcholis Sastro, head of the Bengkulu Disaster Risks Activist Community, said on Friday as quoted by news portal Kompas.com.

According to Nurcholis, the agency conceded that they hadn't known about the fires that have been burning at three separated locations at the Kerinci Seblat National Park, which has a total area of 13,791 square kilometers, spanning four provinces: West Sumatra, Jambi, Bengkulu and South Sumatra.

Nurcholis said local residents had been using the slash-and-burn method to clear land, which went uncontrolled, causing the inferno.

"We hope the government will react immediately," he added.

Satellite imagery picked up more than 600 fire hot spots across Sumatra, with the provinces of Jambi, Riau and South Sumatra accounting for most of the sightings, Indonesia's weather agency (BMKG) said.

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Singapore waiting on details from Johor for cloud-seeding to begin

Today Online 4 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE — The Republic is waiting for the Johor state government to provide details of its cloud-seeding operations before the two sides can move forward on the issue, said an official at the Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Baru yesterday (Sept 3).

The official was commenting on remarks made recently by the chairman of Johor’s Works, Regional and Rural Development Committee, Mr Hasni Mohammad.

Mr Hasni had been quoted as saying that cloud-seeding operations in the airspace over Sungai Layang dam would be conducted within the two weeks before water-rationing is lifted on September 15.

The water level in the dam has been low in recent weeks because of the dry weather, affecting Johor’s water supply.

According to earlier reports, the Johor government had submitted to Singapore a request to begin cloud-seeding operations in the airspace over two dams.

Bernama news agency quoted Mr Hasni as saying on Tuesday: “With the help and cooperation of the Singapore Consulate-General office in Johor Baru, we need not wait for an official reply and need only notify the date and method of the operation to be executed.”

Mr Hasni added that the matter was being handled by the Johor Meteorological Department, and no longer at the federal level.

Yesterday, the Singapore Consulate-General official said: “As we have consistently and clearly stated, Singapore fully supports cloud-seeding operations in Johor during this dry season.

“However, in order to move forward on this together, we will need the Johor state government to provide concrete operational details, which we still have not received. We hope to receive the necessary details as soon as possible, so that the civil aviation authorities of both sides can then coordinate the operations. We will work with Malaysia to expedite the cloud-seeding operations once we receive the details.”

Singapore still waiting for cloud-seeding details from Johor: Consulate-General
Singapore supports Johor's cloud-seeding operations but has not received any operational details, according to an official of the Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Bahru.
Channel NewsAsia 3 Sep 15;

PORE: The Republic is still waiting for the Johor State Government to provide details on its cloud-seeding operations, an official of the Singapore Consulate-General in Johor Bahru said on Thursday (Sep 3).

This is in response to comments in Malaysian media articles dated Sep 1 and 2 on cloud-seeding operations.

“As we have consistently and clearly stated, Singapore fully supports cloud-seeding operations in Johor during this dry season. However, in order to move forward on this together, we will need the Johor State Government to provide concrete operational details, which we still have not received,” said the official in a statement.

The southern Malaysia state has been experiencing critical water levels since July.

"We hope to receive the necessary details as soon as possible, so that the civil aviation authorities of both sides can then coordinate the operations. We will work with Malaysia to expedite the cloud-seeding operations once we receive the details,” the statement added.

In July, Malaysian media reports cited Johor state public works, rural and regional development chairman Hasni Mohammad as saying that Singapore had refused to allow cloud-seeding operations at Sungai Lebam dam in Kota Tinggi and Layang dam in Pasir Gudang as they would purportedly encroach into Singapore's territory.

The Consulate-General then refuted those claims, saying they were "baseless".

- CNA/ec

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Hazy conditions could persist up to 2 days: NEA

AsiaOne 3 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE - Singapore has been experiencing hazy conditions since early this morning, said the National Environmental Agency (NEA) in a news release, and current hazy conditions are expected to persist for the next one to two days.

The air quality in Singapore is expected to move into the low end of the Unhealthy range over the next few hours. The conditions can improve if the wind speeds pick up.

The haziness is due to the spread of smoke haze from Sumatra under weakening wind conditions over Singapore. A total of 395 hotspots were detected in Sumatra yesterday, according to NEA.

Latest satellite image today showed persisting widespread moderate to dense smoke haze in central and southern Sumatra.

NEA's Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ronnie Tay, wrote to his Indonesian counterpart two days ago to register Singapore's concerns over the situation and to seek an urgent update on the ground situation.

NEA said they had first contacted them two weeks ago, and will continue to be in touch with them regarding the deteriorating hotspot situation in Sumatra.

Healthy persons are advised to reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion in these weather conditions.

Elderly, pregnant women and children should minimise prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion, while those with chronic lung or heart disease should avoid prolonged or strenuous outdoor physical exertion, NEA advised.

Persons who are not feeling well, especially the elderly and children, and those with chronic heart or lung conditions, should seek medical attention, said NEA.

NEA said they will continue to monitor the situation closely and issue updates as the need arises.

- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/hazy-conditions-could-persist-2-days-nea#sthash.mrpfiwnb.dpuf

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Confusion clouds regional cooperation to fight haze

SIMON TAY AND LAU XIN YI Today Online 4 Sep 15;

It is clear that the haze from fires burning in Indonesia has returned and is worsening. On Tuesday last week (Aug 25), visibility in Palembang, the provincial capital of South Sumatra, was down to about 300m. The count of possible fire hot spots has risen and prevailing winds carry the haze to parts of Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore, where the Pollutant Standards Index, a measure of air quality, has been hovering between moderate and unhealthy.

Dry conditions will continue in the coming weeks. Some meteorologists even fear this can take a turn for the worse with an El Nino bringing prolonged drier and warmer weather. Last year, airports were forced to close in the Indonesian provinces of Riau as well as in Jambi. In 2013, haze levels were at hazardous peaks.

Clearly, governments should do everything possible to avoid such situations. Yet, progress and cooperation that were seen in the past years may be receding.

Last year, when the haze struck, the Indonesian government reacted by declaring a state of emergency in Riau and sent special troops to help suppress fires. Some suspects were arrested. After coming into office, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo visited Riau and has extended the country’s moratorium on the clearing of primary forests and peatland, which can be highly flammable when dried and degraded.

At the regional level, environment ministers earlier committed to sharing land-use concession maps among governments, and an Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) Haze Monitoring System (AHMS) was endorsed by ASEAN leaders at their 23rd ASEAN Summit in October 2013.

The AHMS has yet to be operational, in part because Indonesia had said that it lacked an authoritative, consolidated and all-encompassing map for all its lands and concessions.

But assurances were given that this could be done after the completion of its One Map Initiative. The ASEAN environment ministers also agreed in April last year to share satellite and other information on hot spot areas.

In addition, a number of plantation and forestry companies — industries often implicated in the fires — made pledges to improve their record. Some also report their progress regularly to maintain accountability with their stakeholders.

While the haze was not immediately solved, these steps seemed to be going in the right direction. The moves align with our analyses and those of leading, non-governmental organisations in Indonesia, suggesting a more cooperative way of managing the issues among governments and with corporations.

BEFUDDLING COMMENTS

Now, however, reports from Indonesia raise doubts on whether cooperation will continue to grow because of questions over the local authorities’ commitment to follow national plans.

Indonesia’s Environment and Forestry Minister, Dr Siti Nurbaya Bakar, said in an interview with Batam Pos newspaper early last month that the Jokowi administration has made funds available to construct canal blockers, which will prevent the draining of peatlands and make them less prone to fire, but this has not been done on site by local authorities. Unless local governments and companies work together on the ground, little real progress will be seen.

The minister’s comments also created confusion over Indonesia’s sincerity in sharing available information with other ASEAN governments, including Singapore. She was quoted as saying that Indonesian domestic laws, particularly the Act on Public Information Disclosure, prevents the sharing of relevant information, even with other governments.

This was reinforced by a statement from the ministry’s Director-General of Climate Change, Dr Nur Masripatin. Her comments, reported in The Straits Times on Aug 26, suggest that Indonesia also cannot extend information on hot spot locations, in case its ownership might be traced.

It is unclear why such comments were made. After all, considerable information about hot spots from satellites is already publicly available.

There is also added confusion over whether the ministry is right in saying Indonesian laws prohibit them from sharing information.

Some Indonesian law experts take the view that there is no regulation prohibiting the sharing of concession maps, and certainly not of hot spot locations. On the contrary, many believe such transparency will advance the quality of environmental and forestry management in Indonesia.

Another issue that requires clarification is whether companies can share the information and maps they have, if they wish to do so. Many member companies have submitted their concession maps to the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a non-profit body that promotes sustainable practices in the industry.

Yet there have been reports that the Indonesian authorities have instructed companies and the RSPO not to publish the maps and to restrict the maps already in circulation.

It would seem preferable to let companies decide whether to volunteer this information. Some companies do so to assure their customers and stakeholders that they have taken precautionary and remedial measures to protect their concessions against fire.

This month, ASEAN environment ministers and officials will meet. This can be an occasion to clarify the accuracy of these media reports and statements, and to strengthen cooperation on this challenging issue.

ISSUES OF SOVEREIGNTY

Some have argued that issues of sovereignty underlie the confusion.

The Singapore Parliament last year passed a law to prosecute those who cause haze to affect Singapore. Even if the fires are on Indonesian soil, this is justified under international law so long as damage from the haze is suffered within Singapore and its airspace. What experts call the effects or impact doctrine has long been recognised as a basis for making laws.

The Act is a reflection of Singapore doing what it can to take responsibility over errant companies and individuals that cause harm. This can complement Indonesian laws that also prohibit fires on Indonesian soil.

These intentions bear clarification and reemphasis when the governments meet.

It can be tempting to hide behind nationalism, technicalities and corporate interests, but governments should remember and protect the ordinary citizens who suffer the ill effects of the haze.

Such citizens are not only those of Singapore, Brunei and Malaysia but first and foremost those of Indonesia who live in the most severely affected provinces.

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Malaysia: Penang providing face masks to primary schools

JOLYNN FRANCIS The Star 3 Sep 15;

GEORGE TOWN: The Penang state government will be giving out masks to primary schoolchildren after air quality approached unhealthy levels here.

State Welfare, Caring Society and Environment Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh the state exco meeting Wednesday decided that the masks would be distributed on Thursday and Friday.

"The haze for the last three days has averaged 84 on the air pollution index (API) for the island and 98 on the mainland," he told a press conference in Komtar.

He added that the haze is expected to last till November.

"The Meteorological Department said haze conditions are expected to last till October, but based on our experience it will continue until November when the northeast monsoon starts," he said.

He also said he managed to meet Indonesia's Minister of Environment during the Fifth Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific in February last year to discuss the matter.

"They have given assurance to do their best to curb open burning," he said, adding the topic was also in discussion among Malaysian and Indonesian delegates in the Sixth Regional 3R Forum in Asia and the Pacific in Male this year.

380 hotspots detected
HANIS ZAINAL The Star 3 Sep 15;

PETALING JAYA: The haze could become worse should the smoke from hotspots in neighbouring Indonesia cross over to the country.

There are currently 380 hotspots in Sumatra and nine in Kalimantan, up from 200 on Monday, according to the Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar.

Dr Wan Junaidi said the Environ­ment Department was closely monitoring the situation.

The department, he said, was monitoring the status and trend of air quality hourly due to the uncertainty of the haze (pattern).

The increase in the number of hotspots in Sumatra and Kalimantan could potentially cause the haze (in Indonesia) to cross the border into the West Coast of Malaysia and Sarawak, he said yesterday.

“Seven hotspots have been identified in the country, one in Sabah and the other six in Pahang,” said Dr Wan Junaidi.

The Fire and Rescue Department’s assistant director-general (operations) Zulkarnain Mohd Kassim said the department would also closely monitor the hotspots.

“Now it’s still raining quite a lot, so it helps us in putting out the hotspots quite fast,” Zulkarnain said.

He said the rain meant there were fewer hotspots this year than during the same period last year, adding that the department was prepared to respond fast should the hotspots in the country increase.

The Malaysian Meteorological Depart­­ment’s National Weather Centre senior meteorologist Dr Hisham Mohd Anip said the dry season started late this year, which could explain the delayed presence of hotspots and haze.

“It usually starts in July but we had a lot of rain in July and August this year.

“The rainfall is considered above normal as during the south-west monsoon season, the rainfall is normally very little,” said Hisham.

He said the situation was similar in Indonesia, which was why the haze season started late this year.

“We are lucky this year, because the haze only started last week (in this country) and will hopefully clear out in two to three weeks when the inter-monsoon season starts,” he said.

As of 6pm yesterday, the Air Pollutant Index reached the unhealthy level in two areas – Bakar Arang in Sungai Petani (103) and Nilai, Negri Sembilan (101).

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Indonesia: 478 hotspots detected in West Kalimantan

Antara 3 Sep 15;

Sungai Raya, West Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - As many as 478 hotspots were detected in West Kalimantan Province until September 1, according to the meteorology office in Pontianak.

Most of the hotspots were found in the districts of Ketapang, Melawi, Sintang, North Kayong, and Kubu Raya.

Plantation and peatland fires in the province have caused haze that has reduced visibility up to one thousand meters. Some parts of the province have received rainfall, and the visibility has improved over the past few days.

The general manager of the airport management company PT Angkasa Pura branch of Supadio Airport in Pontianak noted that the haze did not affect Wednesday's flight schedules.

On the previous day, haze had forced the postponement of 16 flights to and from Pontianak until 9 a.m. local time.

"But after 9 am local time, the flight operations were back to normal," he added.

In the meantime, in the neighboring province of Central Kalimantan, a total of 1,183 hotspots had been detected over the past eight months, of which 708 were found in August.

"The number of hotspots has increased from 266 in July to 708 on August 26," staff member of the early surveillance division of Central Kalimantan Provinces Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) Andreas Dody noted last week.

The hotspots, mainly caused by forest and bush fires, were detected in the districts of Kotawaringin Timur, Kotawaringin Barat, Pulang Pisau, Kapuas, Seruyan, Katingan, Palangka Raya city, Sukamara, Lamandau, Murung Raya, Barito Utara, Barito Selatan, and Barito Timur, he affirmed.

According to the province's Natural Disaster Mitigation Agency Head Brigong Tom Moenandaz, forest and bush fires have affected 665.8 hectares of land until August 26.

Forest and bush fires were detected in various districts, including Sukamara, Kotawaringin Barat, Palangka Raya city, Barito Utara, Pulang Pisau, Kapuas, and Katingan, he revealed.

Passengers crowd Pekanbaru airport as haze grows thicker
Rizal Harahap, thejakartapost.com 3 Sep 15;

Hundreds of passengers crowded an airport in the Riau provincial capital of Pekanbaru on Thursday as flights were delayed as haze grew thicker in city, caused by intensifying forest fires in Riau and its neighboring provinces.

“Those passengers are certainly disappointed because their flights have been delayed. But they understand because they also don’t want to fly in such conditions,” officer in charge at Sultan Syarif Kasim II Airport in Pekanbaru Tony Hendri said on Thursday.

He said that the airport had distributed food and drink to the waiting passengers.

Tony said that 15 flights had been delayed as visibility at the airport had decreased. “There is no other choice but to wait for the haze to clear. With such visibility, the pilots cannot see the airstrips,” he added.

Based on reports from four monitoring posts of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) in Pekanbaru, visibility was 200 meters in the morning, having worsened from 500m on Wednesday.

Haze has disrupted flights at the Riau airport since Tuesday. On Wednesday, 14 flights were delayed, including a plane that was scheduled to take haj pilgrims to Mecca. Meanwhile, nine other flights were suspended.

Haze also disrupted flights to and from Dumai and Rengat. The visibility in Dumai and Rengat regencies was 300 meters and 800 meters, respectively.

“Pelita Air and Trans Nusa, serving Dumai-Jakarta and Dumai-Batam could not fly as scheduled,” said Pinang Kampai Airport in Dumai head Catur Hargowo. (bbn)

Thick haze paralyzes schools, airports in Sumatra, Kalimantan
Rizal Harahap and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post 3 Sep 15;

Thick haze caused by ongoing land and forest fires in Sumatra and Kalimantan has forced local authorities on the two islands to temporarily shut down schools and delay or cancel flights on safety concerns.

In Riau, the Pekanbaru municipal administration on Wednesday decided to close down schools until Thursday in response to ever-thicker haze that has blanketed the city over the past few days.

Fuad Jabbar, a student at SMP 8 Pekanbaru state junior high school, expressed relief that students were finally sent home, saying that he had been suffering from a cough for the past week.

“My nose hurts and it’s hard to breathe. I’m also suffering from an eye irritation, making it hard to concentrate,” he said, adding that some of his friends were suffering similar symptoms.

Pekanbaru Education Agency head Zulfadil said the decision to send local students home was necessary, as the air quality in the city had continued to drop in recent days.

“We want to anticipate any negative impacts,” Zulfadil said, adding that the agency might extend the schools’ closure if the city’s air quality did not quickly improve.

In Kampar and Rokan Hulu regencies, a number of schools also decided on Wednesday to send their respective students early.

Pelalawan regency, meanwhile, had taken the same policy earlier on Tuesday and schools are scheduled to resume activities by Friday.

“We are advising schools to give their students days off if the air quality in their respective region stays at unhealthy levels for three consecutive days,” explained Riau Health Agency head Andra Sjafril.

Local authorities in many parts of the country, particularly in Sumatra and Kalimantan, have been struggling over the past few months to extinguish massive land and forest fires triggered mainly by this year’s extended dry season.

Haze has also played havoc with flights at a number of airports in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

According to authorities at Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport in Pekanbaru, limited visibility on Wednesday forced 10 domestic and international flights to delay their arrivals at or departures from the airport, Antara news agency reported.

In North Sumatra, 11 flights were canceled from landing at or taking off from Kualanamu International Airport in Deli Serdang regency on Wednesday on similar concerns.

“Before 1 p.m., 10 flights canceled their arrivals at or departures from the airport. Another flight was canceled at 3:10 p.m.,” Kualanamu airport duty manager Indra Lubis told The Jakarta Post.

Meanwhile in Central Kalimantan, Susi Air’s flights from and to Beringin Airport in Muara Teweh, North Barito regency, were also canceled on Wednesday because of thick haze.

“The flights were canceled because the haze has been relatively thick since this morning,” airport officer Akhmad Sidik told Antara.

While most of the recent land and forest fires are the result of natural causes, others have been intentionally sparked by irresponsible parties.

In Jambi, the local police announced on Wednesday that they were investigating five cases of intentional land burnings in the province.

Jambi Police chief Brig. Gen. Lutfi Lubihanto said three people had been named suspects for allegedly burning 819 hectares of land in Tebo Ilir district, Tebo regency. The case, he said, was being handled by the Tebo Police.

Jon Afrizal in Jambi contributed to the article.

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