Instead of pointing fingers, start restoring peatlands

Bustar Maitar, Strait Times AsiaOne 8 Oct 15;

Out the window, I could see Singaporeans hurrying down the street before rushing inside to escape the choking haze.

With NGO colleagues from Europe and the United States, I was attending a conference last week on how businesses can tackle deforestation, while much of South-east Asia was suffering from the impact of weeks of forest fires.

Recent days have seen schools closed in Indonesian towns, as well as in Singapore and Malaysia's capital, and the haze is expected to continue for months. It was ironic to sit in a room with some of the most powerful companies in the world that could take steps to address this problem, while we couldn't even go outside during the coffee break.

When reporting on forest fires, the media always asks: Who are the culprits? Is it communities or companies setting forests on fires?

However, with the haze now becoming an annual scourge, the question should really be: How can these fires be prevented?

The answer is that the real cause of the worst haze is the drainage of peatlands.

Peat swamp forests - that line much of the coasts of Sumatra and Kalimantan (Borneo) - are being drained to create more and more oil palm and pulpwood plantations.

And when the peatlands are drained, they become a tinderbox that any campfire or cigarette butt can set alight, burning in conditions that create more smoke than ordinary forest fires.

The situation in Indonesia worsens in El Nino years such as this, which are characterised by periods of drought that increase the extent and longevity of peat fires, which can continue to smoulder underground for weeks or more, as long as the peat remains dry.

It is estimated that the extensive burning of peat and vegetation in the 1997 El Nino year released between 0.81 and 2.57 gigatons of carbon, then equivalent to a staggering 13 to 40 per cent of global carbon emissions from fossil fuels. Global climate change is expected to create a vicious circle, increasing the frequency of El Nino events.

So, when this is known, why do companies continue to drain these peatlands? And why does the government not do all it can to protect and restore Indonesia's remaining peatlands?

The answer is simple: Plantation companies covet peatlands because they represent a rare resource: a broad area of land which is only sparsely populated.

However, oil palm and pulpwood acacia trees cannot grow if their roots are constantly wet, so plantations require the peatlands to be drained. Meanwhile, local and national governments have designated palm oil as a priority industry, favouring investors' interests over environmental concerns.

The costs of this short-sighted rush to open up Indonesia's forests and peatlands are all too apparent at the moment. Indonesian President Joko Widodo's Cabinet calculates that the fires and haze have set Indonesia back an estimated 300 trillion to 475 trillion rupiah (S$30 billion to S$47.5 billion).

Yet, even as the crisis raged, President Joko's government announced it would revise a dozen regulations to smooth the way for further forestry and plantation enterprises.

In fact, there is regulation on peatland management, but it falls far short of providing adequate protection, and is not among those the government said it would revisit.

Meanwhile, there are no maps to base peat management regulations on. As an environmental non-governmental organisation, Greenpeace would like to see regulation of peat management urgently implemented, after measures have been taken to protect all peatlands, regardless of their depth or whether they are included in existing concessions.

Last year, President Joko went with Greenpeace to the fire-impacted village of Sungai Tohor in the heart of Riau province's peatlands, and helped the community dam a canal draining a nearby company plantation.

He later promised to ensure a thousand dams are built in Riau to end peatland drainage. A year later, the area where the President's dam stands is not impacted by the fires, but only a handful of the thousand dams were ever built, and so in the rest of Riau, little has changed.

Quite inexplicably, the President last week actually ordered canals to be dug in Central Kalimantan peatlands in order to transport water for firefighting purposes.

This is a disastrous mistake, as the canals will not supply enough water to douse the widespread fires, and will only contribute to drying out peatlands further over the long run.

Deforestation rates are still rising in Indonesia, and this year's fire season shows that a new level of ambition on peatland protection is needed. Around 11 million ha - around half of Indonesia's total peatlands - has been cleared and drained. While large players in the plantation industry have made strong commitments to forest and peatland protection, this generally only extends to a promise not to open up new areas of peatlands, so the impact on the ground is slim.

To stop the annual fire and haze crisis, we need companies and governments to work together to identify, protect and restore critical peatlands. This means that a "no development on peat" policy is not enough: companies need to address the legacy of their plantations by restoring drained peatlands to prevent them from catching fire.

In practice, this means that some plantation areas will need to be returned to their natural flooded condition. It means that companies that have benefited from a decade of peat drainage will need to set aside large amounts of money to compensate communities and restore the peat forests.

So far, only one company has actually started reflooding peatland areas, albeit in a very small percentage of its estate. We call upon the plantation industry to follow this example, and for buyers of plantation commodities like palm oil to help fund the restoration of peatlands.

Only then can we be assured that we are not merely fighting fires, but actually tackling the problem.

Bustar Maitar is the global head of Greenpeace's Indonesia Forest Campaign.

Read more!

Indonesian forest fires on track to emit more CO2 than UK

Greenpeace warns fires raging across forest and peatlands will match the worst year ever and exceed the total annual carbon output of the UK
Shocking drone footage captured by Greenpeace field researchers shows extensive peat and forest fires burning in Indonesia.
Damian Carrington The Guardian 7 Oct 15;

Fires raging across the forests and peatlands of Indonesia are on track to pump out more carbon emissions than the UK’s entire annual output, Greenpeace has warned.

As well as fuelling global warming, the thick smoke choking cities in the region is likely to cause the premature deaths of more than 100,000 people in the region and is also destroying vital habitats for endangered orangutans and clouded leopards.

New drone video footage from Greenpeace from around the Gunung Palung national park in Kalimantan shows the peat fires smouldering underground, as well as flames burning down trees, and the thick haze they produce.

There have been almost 10,000 fires in the last month across Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) and Sumatra, with the drifting smoke also provoking protests from neighbouring Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

The fires, mostly started deliberately and illegally to clear forest for paper and palm oil production, are on track to match the worst ever year of 1997. As in that year, the region is currently experiencing a strong El Niño climate phenomenon. This creates drought conditions in Indonesia, exacerbating years of draining of peatlands, and creating tinderbox conditions.

“As governments prepare to meet in Paris to save the world from catastrophic warming, the earth in Indonesia is already on fire,” said Greenpeace’s Indonesian forest project leader Bustar Maita.

“Companies destroying forests and draining peatland have made Indonesia’s landscape into a huge carbon bomb, and the drought has given it a thousand fuses. The Indonesian government can no longer turn a blind eye to this destruction when half of Asia is living with the consequences.”

Indonesia’s pledge to the UN on climate action has been criticised for being vague on how it will halt the fires.

The record forest and peat fires of 1997 produced huge carbon emissions, estimated by scientists at between 0.81 and 2.57 gigatonnes (Gt), equivalent to 13-40% of the entire world’s annual fossil fuel emissions. It lead to the biggest annual jump in CO2 ever recorded. By comparison, the UK’s carbon emissions for the whole of 2014 were 0.52Gt.

The health impact of the forest and peat fires is also expected to be large, with the resulting premature deaths across south-east Asia estimated at 110,000 deaths in an average year. More than 75,000 people are already suffering from upper respiratory infections as a result of the haze, according to media reports.

Raffles Brotestes Panjaitan, director of forest fire control in Indonesia’s Ministry of Environment and Forestry, explained why so many fires are started deliberately:“Burning the forest is the fastest, cheapest and most profitable method, instead of clearing with heavy equipment,” he told Associated Press.

“Our regulation is clear: no burning of forests. But [big corporations] violate the law for the sake of profits.” He described the burning peatlands as a vast smouldering stove, burning up to 10 metres (33 feet) deep.

“Ironically, intact peatlands are actually very fire resistant, as they are protected by a high water table,” said Professor Susan Page, an expert on Indonesia’s peatlands at the University of Leicester, UK. “The problem arises when peatlands are drained. Dry peat ignites very easily and can burn for days or weeks, even smouldering underground and re-emerging away from the initial source. This makes them incredibly difficult to extinguish.”

The threat to wildlife is extreme, according to Mark Harrison, of the Orangutan Tropical Peatland Project (OuTrop). “Tropical peat-swamp forests are one of the world’s most important ecosystems. They are home to globally threatened wildlife, including the orangutan, southern Bornean gibbon and clouded leopard,” he said.

“OuTrop’s main research site in the Sabangau forest, Kalimantan, is a peat-swamp that is home to the world’s largest orangutan population,” said Harrison. “Fire here not only burns the surface vegetation, but also the peat soil that has taken thousands of years to form. This makes fire the biggest threat to Sabangau’s orangutans and many other species that call this forest home.”

The Indonesian government has deployed more than 22,000 soldiers, policemen and fire personnel to fight the fires, with aircraft conducting water-bombing and cloud-seeding operations. Another 6,000 soldiers are expected to be deployed soon.

But peatland fires are very difficult to extinguish and the only permanent solution is to restore and protect rainforests and peatlands. Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, has pleaded for the patience, saying the haze is “not a problem that you can solve quickly.” He said: “You will see results soon, and in three years, we will have solved this.”

Indonesia’s government estimates that 63% of its greenhouse gas emissions are the result of forest and peatland fires and land use change, but others say the proportion is as high as 80%.

In May, the government extended a moratorium on deforestation, but activists have called for it to be strengthened as it currently excludes secondary forests and areas earmarked for “national development”.


Products ‘linked to haze’ banned
The Star 8 Oct 15;

JAKARTA: New aerial footage released showed smoke billowing from Indonesian forest fires as smog-choked Singapore’s biggest supermarket chain announced a ban on products from a paper company accused over the haze shrouding South-East Asia.

Fires illegally started to clear land for plantations on Indonesia’s Sumatra island and the Indonesian part of Borneo have for weeks been producing thick haze that has cloaked Singapore and Malaysia, prompting the cancellation of outdoor events and school closures.

The smog-belching blazes are an annual occurrence during the dry season, but scientists have warned this year’s could be the worst on record due to an El Nino weather system that has created tinder-dry conditions in Indonesia and increased the risk of fires.

The drone footage filmed by Greenpeace showed acrid haze rising from dense jungle, trees reduced to fire-blackened skeletons, vast swathes of burnt peatland, and a city shrouded in haze on the Indonesian part of Borneo.

“Companies destroying forests and draining peatland have made Indonesia’s landscape into a huge carbon bomb, and the drought has given it a thousand fuses,” said Bustar Maitar, Indonesian forest project leader for Greenpeace South-East Asia.

“The Indonesian government can no longer turn a blind eye to this destruction when half of Asia is living with the consequences.”

Pressure mounted in Singapore, where air quality has been unhealthy for weeks, with supermarket chain NTUC FairPrice, which belongs to a state-linked trades union, announcing the withdrawal from its shelves of all paper products sourced from Indonesian-owned Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), which has corporate offices in Singapore.

This comes after the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) temporarily suspended the firm’s exclusive distributor Universal Sovereign Trading’s use of their green label pending further investigations.

The move also comes shortly after FairPrice was asked by the SEC to sign a declaration form stating that it did not carry products from the five companies being investigated for their possible connection to the forest fires in Indonesia.

FairPrice carries 14 housebrand paper products. Of these, two are sourced from APP through Universal Sovereign.

The chain also carries 16 other APP related products from various brands – including Paseo, NICE and Jolly – which will be pulled off the shelves too.

NTUC FairPrice executive director Seah Kian Peng said they had been proactively monitoring the situation over the past week.

“As a fair business partner, we reserved taking action pending further information and investigation by the authorities,” he said. “Our decision to withdraw all APP products is a result of the temporary restriction of their Green Label certification.”

Aida Greenbury, APP’s Jakarta-based managing director for sustainability, told AFP that the company was working with the Indonesian military to fight forest fires in suppliers’ landholdings, where more than 10,000ha had been affected.

“Regardless of who started the fires, we are working around the clock and bringing in additional resources to manage forest fires in our suppliers’ land,” she said in a statement.

“If any suppliers are found to have intentionally burned land, we

will disengage with them. We are ready to step up and do more to address challenges in the landscape.”

Tensions have been rising between the governments of Singapore and Indonesia over the haze, and the city-state’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asked Indonesia in a statement yesterday for an “early response” to its requests for information on “errant companies suspected of being involved in the haze”.

Late last month, the National Environment Agency (NEA) began legal action against Singapore-listed APP and four Indonesian firms that it believes to be behind the burning.

APP was asked to supply information on its subsidiaries operating in Singapore and Indonesia, as well as measures taken by its suppliers to put out fires in their concessions.

The company said yesterday it had provided information in response to the agency’s request.

Under a 2014 law, Singapore can impose a fine of S$100,000 (RM297,033) for each day that a local or foreign company contributes to unhealthy levels of haze pollution in Singapore, subject to a maximum total of S$2mil (RM5.9mil). — AFP/ The Straits Times / Asia News Network

Read more!

Malaysia: Haze situation shows general improvement

The Star 8 Oct 15;

PETALING JAYA: Sabah and Sarawak are expected to have clearer skies while the south and west of peninsula Malaysia are likely to experience haze over the next few days.

This, said the Meteorological Department, was due to the south-easterly winds that were expected to remain.

“Sabah and Sarawak, however, are expected to be free of transboundary haze during the period,” said the department’s director-general Datuk Che Gayah Ismail yesterday.

He said the situation over the country had improved in general, as the majority of the Meteorological Department’s stations recorded visibility of more than 3km as of yesterday afternoon.

However, areas such as Kluang, Langkawi, Batu Embun in Pahang and Petaling Jaya recorded visibility of between 1.5km and 2.5km.

“As of noon, all stations in Sabah and most stations in Sarawak, except Kuching and Limbang, recorded visibility of more than 10km,” said Che Gayah.

Kuching and Limbang recorded visibility of 8km and 9km respectively.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said Malaysia is also expected to encounter weak winds from various directions until Oct 12 with the end of the tropical storm Mujigae in the north of Vietnam.

He said in a statement that based on satellite images, there were three hotspots in Kalimantan and 121 hotspots in Sumatera.

“Only one hotspot was discovered in Pahang,” said the minister.

As of 1pm yesterday, Port Dickson, was the only area that recorded unhealthy Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 101. The readings became moderate after 2pm.

As of 4pm, 14 areas recorded good API readings while 38 areas recorded moderate API readings.

An API reading of 0 to 50 indicates good air quality; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy and 300 and above, hazardous.

In Langkawi, the API reading was 75 at 4pm after it recorded unhealthy readings in the early hours of the morning until 9am.

After the schools reopened in Penang yesterday and a downpour the day before, the readings in the state dropped to moderate levels.


Haze: Less than 3km visibility until Thursday
New Straits Times 7 Oct 15;

KUALA LUMPUR: Visibility of less than three kilometres in the waters off Kedah, Penang, Perak, Selangor, Negri Sembilan, Malacca, Johor, Pahang and Sarawak is expected to persist until Thursday (Oct 8).

This condition is dangerous to ships that are not equipped with navigational equipment, said the Malaysian Meteorological Department in a statement today.

The same situation is also reported in waters off the Straits of Malacca, Tioman, Bunguran, Kuching and Reef South.-- BERNAMA

Read more!

Thailand's foreign ministry shifts gear as smog tightens grip on South

The Nation/ANN AsiaOne 8 Oct 15;

The Foreign Ministry is exploring all possible means, including diplomacy, in its bid to tackle the spread of haze into southern Thailand from agricultural fires in neighbouring Indonesia.

"We would like to assure people living in Thailand's South and anyone affected by the haze that we are doing our best," Foreign Affairs Minister Don Pramudwinai said yesterday, as smog levels continued to threaten the health of residents as well as disrupt flights in many southern provinces.

Indonesian Ambassador Lutfi Rauf separately confirmed that he would meet with Thai officials at the Foreign Ministry at 11am today. Don said his ministry would express concern about the smog's impact during the meeting.

He added that he would also seek the co-operation of haze-affected neighbours such as Malaysia in joining discussions with Indonesia.

Flights to the southern provinces of Songkhla, Krabi and Phuket were delayed amid thick haze yesterday.

Several planes were forced to circle for 20 minutes to an hour before landing as they waited for improved visibility.

Visibility on roads was also significantly reduced, with motorists in Songkhla saying they could see no more than 200 metres. In Phatthalung province, road visibility was down to less than 500 metres.

The level of particulate matter up to 10 microns in size (PM10) also rose beyond the safe limit of 120 micrograms in many parts of the South.

Phuket recorded levels of 163 micrograms while Krabi saw 130 micrograms. Complaints of eye irritation, skin irritation and respiratory problems have risen dramatically across the region in recent days.

Only one-third of children turned up at the Phuket City Municipality's nursery yesterday, as parents took precautions against the smog.

"Most children have fallen sick, so the parents have kept them at home," a nursery teacher said.

Elsewhere, Satun Primary Education Office chief Nisit Chaiphak said he had instructed the directors of 161 primary schools in the southern province to temporarily close if the smog level worsened.

In Trang province, shops on Pakmeng beach were all shuttered as tourists stayed away.

Local entrepreneurs are complaining about the economic impact of the haze.

"My friends and I reckon we will have to close our shops until the smog eases," said Wanna Suansri, a shop owner in the smog-blanketed province of Phatthalung. "Even when we open, there's no customers anyway."


Masks given out as haze blankets southern Thailand
Tan Hui Yee, Straits Times AsiaOne 8 Oct 15;

The authorities in southern Thailand have distributed face masks and urged residents to stay indoors as forest fires in Indonesia pushed air quality to unhealthy levels this week.

The worst-hit provinces yesterday were Phuket, Songkhla and Satun, where state monitoring stations recorded particulate matter in the air beyond the country's acceptable level of 120 micrograms (mcg) per cubic metre.

The PM10 level - or the amount of particulate matter equal to or less than 10 micrometres in diameter - was worst in the south-western Satun province. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the 24-hour average reading there at 3pm yesterday was 187 mcg per cubic m. This was followed by Songkhla, with a reading of 156, and Phuket, at 146.

The thick smoke, aided by the wind, has also blanketed parts of Malaysia and Singapore.

Local reports say a crowd of about 20 people gathered at the Indonesian consulate in Songkhla yesterday morning and submitted a letter urging Jakarta to take responsibility and tackle the haze.

"We are not here to condemn anybody, but as we know that the origin of this haze is from Indonesia, we ask the Indonesian government to solve this problem," spokesman Bunchon Vichiensri told reporters. "This problem affects not only us, but the whole region."

The vice-governor of Songkhla, Mr Anuchit Trakulmututa, told The Straits Times he was considering requesting cloud seeding if the situation gets worse. "We have urged people to take care of their own health, delivered face masks and closed our provincial outdoor stadium to prevent people from exercising there and damaging their health," he said. "Fortunately, this is the school break season, so we don't need to close schools."

Meanwhile, Songkhla's Disease Prevention Office 12 director, Dr Suwich Thampaolo, urged residents earlier this week to stay indoors, close all windows and doors, wear face masks and see a doctor if they have breathing difficulties, reported The Nation.

In neighbouring Malaysia, the federal government is planning to pass a law to deal with companies domestically as well those based overseas that cause haze pollution, Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said.

The Utusan Malaysia newspaper quoted him as saying that such a Bill, which is in the works, would give the government power to act beyond Malaysia's borders, similar to a law that has been enacted in Singapore.


Hazy conditions set to remain in Thailand's Phuket
Haze particles rose above minimum safety levels across southern Thailand earlier this week, above the country's acceptable level.
Arglit Boonyai Channel NewsAsia 7 Oct 15;

PHUKET: Thailand has seen its fair share of bad weather conditions this year, with drought, floods, and now the choking haze that has spread across parts of Southeast Asia from forest fires in Indonesia.

Haze particles rose above minimum safety levels across southern Thailand earlier in the week, including tourist destinations such as Phuket and Surat Thani.

The Pollution Control Department says the situation has improved in all its provinces, except Phuket. Particulate matter rose to 174 microgrammes per cubic metre on the island, above the country's acceptable level of 120 microgrammes per cubic metre.

But there has not yet been a significant decrease in tourist numbers at the popular beach destination. The Thai Hotels Association has urged the government to seek proposals for emergency measures from Indonesia. Major hotels in Pattani have warned that if the haze continues through the peak season in December, they expect bookings to drop, especially from Malaysian tourists.

For now however, the Tourism Ministry says tourist arrivals have increased in Thailand due to Chinese Golden Week. Phuket is also a major destination for Chinese tourists and China accounts for the largest number of foreign visitors after visitors from ASEAN countries.

In a bid to encourage local residents and tourists to protect against the choking smog, the government has handed out more than 8,000 face masks. Authorities expect hazy conditions to last until November at the very least.

- CNA/yt


16 flights led astray amid haze
AMORNRAT MAHITTHIROOK Bangkok Post 8 Oct 15;

Worst affected of the southern provinces is Phuket. Most air traffic disruptions occurred at Phuket airport Wednesday morning, with nine delayed landings, two planes diverted to other airports and another two forced to turn back, according to the Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai), which said visibility was below 1,000 metres.

Among the affected airlines was a flight from Thai Lion Air from Don Mueang airport which circled above Phuket for over an hour, while a Thai AirAsia flight made a U-turn back to Don Mueang at 8.20am.

The pilots of Bangkok Airways flight PG251, which departed Koh Samui airport at 8.05am for Phuket, turned around and returned to the island at 8.30am. Pilots of Thai Silk Air Flight SLK772 from Singapore to Koh Samui decided to circle until the weather was clear. The situation returned to normal after 9.30am, according to Aerothai's regional Approach Control Service.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Sek Wannamethee said the Indonesian ambassador Lutfi Rauf has been invited to the ministry today to discuss how to solve the haze problem. The issue is also a big concern for Asean senior officials currently meeting in Malaysia, he said.

In Phuket, PM10, which are less than 10 microns in size, reached 200 microgrammes per cubic metre Wednesday afternoon, compared with the safety limit of 120 microgrammes, according to the Pollution Control Department.

The tiny particles, which are about one-seventh the width of a human hair, are considered dangerous as they can easily lodge in people's lungs.

Authorities in the seven provinces have distributed 140,000 face masks to locals, said Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn. State-run hospitals are also facing an influx of patients for treatment of respiratory-related disorders, he said.

Smoke from Indonesian fires blankets Thai holiday island of Phuket in haze
As the fume cloud smothering south-east Asia continues to worsen, Thailand calls in Indonesia’s ambassador for talks on tackling the recurring problem
Oliver Holmes The Guardian 8 Oct 15;

The Thai holiday island of Phuket has been plunged into a poisonous grey haze caused by illegal forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia.

Reduced visibility caused passenger planes from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and destined for Phuket airport to turn around on Thursday. The noxious fumes which have been spreading for weeks have shut down many other parts of south-east Asia.

Schools have been closed in Malaysia and races in Singapore for the swimming world cup – the FINA world championship – were cancelled on Saturday. A marathon in Malaysia on Sunday was also abandoned.

The Thai foreign minister on Thursday invited Indonesia’s ambassador for a meeting to discuss the forest fires, the Bangkok Post reported. Pollution rose to 200 microgrammes on Wednesday evening, classed as “very unhealthy”.

Don Pramudwinai said before his meeting with ambassador Lutfi Rauf that he wanted short and long-term solutions to a problem that is repeated annually during Indonesia’s dry season when plantation owners slash-and-burn land on Sumatra, the paper said.

Tens of thousands of people in Indonesia and Malaysia have sought medical treatment for respiratory problems. The annual burning is decades old but Indonesia has faced mounting pressure to end the practice.

Scientists warn the pollution, caused mostly from the burning of drained peatlands, could surpass 1997 levels when the smog led to an environmental disaster costing an estimated US$9bn in damage.

Greenpeace says the fires kill roughly 110,000 people a year in the region through associated conditions.

Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak said this week that Indonesia needs to convict plantation companies.

Indonesia has deployed 20,000 security forces police to water bomb the fields and use chemicals to artificially induce rainfall. It also says it has investigated companies and ordered four to suspend operations.

At first rejecting offers to help from Singapore, a foreign ministry spokesman said on Thursday that Jakarta would now work “with a number of countries including Singapore” to fight the fires.

Read more!

Indonesia: Hundreds of thousands fall victim to haze illnesses

Rizal Harahap and Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post 7 Oct 15;

The thick haze that has blanketed parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan for months has caused hundreds of thousands of residents to suffer respiratory and other diseases.

Pekanbaru Health Agency head Helda S. Munir said 10,932 people in the provincial capital of Riau, had been treated for acute respiratory infections (ISPA) and other haze-related illnesses, such as skin and eye irritations in the past two months.

“ISPA patients alone amount to 9,636 people. The data was collected from 12 community health centers in the city’s 12 districts,” Helda said.

Meanwhile, the number of ISPA patients in North Penajam Paser regency in East Kalimantan has increased from 1,733 people in July to 2,194 people in August.

The regency’s health agency head Arnold Wayong said the increase in ISPA patients was believed to be due to the haze that has shrouded North Penajam Paser for months.

According to data from the Health Ministry, the number of ISPA patients from June to October in Riau Islands stood at 45,668; in Jambi the figure was 69,734; South Sumatra, 83,276; West Kalimantan, 43,477; South Kalimantan, 29,104; and 29,104 in South Kalimantan.

Arnold said most of the ISPA patients were children aged between 1 and 4. “We have asked community health centers to call on people to wear masks,” he said as quoted by Antara news agency.

While many authorities have stressed the importance of wearing masks to avoid respiratory illnesses, many people are reportedly reluctant to use them.

Many residents, including mothers with babies, in Solok, West Sumatra, were seen not to be wearing masks. “There has been distribution of masks [by the local government], but people don’t want to wear them,” Syahril, a resident, said.

Students in Pekanbaru were also reportedly reluctant to wear masks for long periods, claiming they caused breathing difficulties.

The air pollution has continued to get worse, reaching “dangerous” levels in Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, on Tuesday.

Sawahlunto Environment Agency head Iwan Kartiwan said the air pollution standard index (ISPU) had touched the “dangerous” level as the haze density was recorded at 347 micrograms per cubic meter of air (µg/m3).

“We have reported the data to the city’s health agency and the disaster mitigation agency for them to take measures,” Iwan said

According to the ISPU, a haze density level between 101 and 199 µg/m3 is categorized as “unhealthy”, while between 200 and 300 µg/m3 is “very unhealthy” and over 300 µg/m3 is “dangerous”.

North Sumatra Environment Agency also reported that the air quality had been deteriorating in many areas in the province on Tuesday. “Air pollution in Medan and surrounding areas is the worst because of the haze that continues to blanket North Sumatra,” said agency head Hidayati.

Besides causing illnesses, the haze also disrupted flights in some small airports in North Sumatra, including Aek Godang Airport in Padang Sidempuan regency.

Visibility at the airport amounted to 500 meters at 11 a.m. on Tuesday.

The haze has been blamed on smoke from peat land and forest fires in South Sumatra.

— Syofiardi Bachyul JB contributed to the story from Solok, West Sumatra.


Garuda Remains Upbeat Despite Haze Disruptions
Laila Ramdhini and Rausyan Fikry Jakarta Globe 7 Oct 15;

Jakarta. The chief of Indonesia’s flag carrier Garuda Indonesia remains optimistic that the airline can earn a profit in the third quarter of 2015, despite its recent spate of flight cancellations due thick haze blanketing Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Garuda booked a net income of $29.3 million in this year's January-June period, on the back of increased sales and lower costs. That was a major improvement compared to the $201.3 million loss it recorded in the same period last year.

Garuda president director Arief Wibowo told journalists at a media visit to BeritaSatu Media Holdings in Jakarta that he felt assured the airline's third quarter financial report will be in the black, but declined to provide details.

Still, he admitted that “July, August, September were very tough” months for Garuda, with a large number of flights disrupted by forest fires and the eruption of Mount Raung in East Java.

The company was forced to to cancel 1,870 flights in the three-month period, while its low-cost carrier unit Citilink cancelled 600 due to thick haze.

Airports at Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, and Jambi and Pekanbaru in Riau were among the worst hit by the haze

Arif pointed out that airports at Palangkaraya (Central Kalimantan), Jambi, and Pekanbaru (Riau) ̶̶ where Garuda has substantial operations ̶̶ are among the worst hit by the haze.

“Canceling a flight can result in considerable losses, from catering costs, fees for the cabin crew, burned fuel and wasted flight slots,” said Handayani, Garuda commercial director.

Aviation rivals from neighboring countries such as Malaysia have been better able to cope with the region's haze crisis as their airports are far better equipped compared to their Indonesian counterparts, said Garuda operational director Novianto Herupratomo.

“If only our airports had an instrument landing system, which helps assists landings [in] visibility levels of 800 meters,” he said.


Indonesia needs better aircraft for water-bombing operations
Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Strait Times AsiaOne 7 Oct 15;

Indonesia said it needs aircraft capable of hauling more water and flying farther, to put out forest fires which cause the haze that has been spreading throughout the region.

The country's disaster management agency, BNPB, yesterday said it is open to assistance from neighbours Singapore and Malaysia in acquiring larger water-bombers such as the Russian-made Beriev Be-200 or the CL-245 from Canada.

This came after talks to land those aircraft from the Russians and Canadians stalled in recent weeks.

"If Singapore or Malaysia have better access, they are welcome to help bring such aircraft here because Indonesia needs them," said BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho. "Any other country is also welcome to help."

Dr Sutopo's comments come after forest and land fires raging in Sumatra and Kalimantan intensified over the last few days, producing a thick haze that has since spread beyond Singapore and Malaysia, reaching the skies of Cebu in the Philippines, and Thailand.

The scale of the fires has reached a stage where emergency workers require better equipment, said Dr Sutopo, referring to the two amphibious planes that are purpose-built for fighting fires over sprawling landscapes.

The CL-245, or its newer variant the CL-415, is able to fly with more than 6,000 litres of water, while the the larger Beriev can carry more than twice that amount.

Most helicopters being used in water-bombing operations across Indonesia now can haul about only half a tonne of water, which is rougly equivalent to500 litres.

Haze from forest fires suspected to have been started by people trying to clear land for cultivation of crops like oil palms, using outlawed slash- and-burn techniques, have sent air pollution levels soaring, at times, to hazardous levels.

Singapore was one of the first of Indonesia's neighbours to offer its assistance, which comprised a firefighting team, a C-130 aircraft for cloud seeding and a Chinook helicopter equipped with a water bucket for aerial firefighting.

Malaysia has also offered aircraft to help douse the fires.

Indonesia initially turned down their offers but recently said it welcomes the help and would turn to them when the time arrives.

Dr Sutopo said his government had reached out to the Canadian embassy in Jakarta and also the Russian ambassador to Indonesia for the aircraft, but to no avail.

That was because they have already been deployed for firefighting operations elsewhere, he added.

The Indonesian government has been under pressure at home and abroad to resolve this decades-old crisis, which has affected more than 28 million of its people.

According to government estimates, the forest fires and haze have cost Indonesia between $30 billion and $47.5 billion.

The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) in Palangkaraya - the capital of Central Kalimantan where schools were forced to close for more than three weeks - peaked at almost 1,000 at 9am yesterday, before falling to 331 at 8pm, just under the hazardous level of 350.

South Sumatra and Central Kalimantan have been the two provinces where most of the firefighting and haze mitigation efforts have been focused due to the severity of the conditions there.

Firefighting operations in Ogan Komering Ilir regency, one of the worst-hit areas in South Sumatra, have seen "very slow progress", said BNPB chief Willem Rampangilei yesterday afternoon.

South Sumatra, which saw thousands of hot spots emerge in recent days, now has almost 3,700 troops on the ground fighting fires. Another region of concern was East Kalimantan.

The absence of clouds over Indonesia has restricted cloud-seeding operations, while some helicopters were grounded yesterday because of the low visibility caused by thick haze, said Mr Willem.

Read more!

4 individuals, organisations awarded Singapore's highest environmental accolade

Liyana Othman Channel NewsAsia 8 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE: On Wednesday (Oct 7), four individuals and organisations received the President's Award for the Environment, given to those who have made significant contributions towards environmental and water sustainability.

One of them is Mrs Kirtida Mekani. She has been an advocate for the environment for the past two decades, serving as the founding executive director of the Singapore Environment Council, and contributing to environmental sustainability at the United World College of South East Asia, through the Mekani Sustainability Fund.

But her proudest achievement to date is the Plant-A-Tree programme, an initiative under NParks' charity, the Garden City Fund. Around 17,000 trees of 200 different species have been planted since its inception in 2007.

"Why trees?" said Mrs Mekani. "Trees are very important to me. Trees give you a lot of lessons in life. They don't discriminate. And by planting trees, you're making an impact, you're supporting everyone. These trees you plan today, day in and day out, they're appreciating. They're giving you oxygen, they're locking carbon dioxide, they're enhancing our environment."

East View Primary School is another winner. Recycling is big in the school. For example, it has green walls that are self-irrigated by rainwater collected from the roof. The water that drips down is then used for various science experiments. All this to develop students to become caring global citizens.

"When you care for your global home, you'll care for your immediate home and your friends as well," said East View Primary School's principal Yao-Lee Seow Foong. "And with our evinronmental science movement that we have adopted, we have taught our children to really care for each other, and also to care for the plants that they look after."

Other environmental champions include Mr Kwek Leng Joo, deputy chairman of City Development Limited and semiconductor firm Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company.

Already in its 10th year, the award aims to inspire more people to play a part in tackling Singapore's environmental challenges.

Said Mrs Mekani: "We all have to chip in, we all have to come together and make a difference.What we are doing, somebody someday is going to reflect and say, 'hey, they did a good job. They've left a beautiful Singapore for us'."

- CNA/hs


CDL's Kwek Leng Joo among winners of President's Award for the Environment
Lynette Khoo Business Times 7 Oct 15;

CITY Developments Limited (CDL) deputy chairman Kwek Leng Joo is among four winners to be conferred the President's Award for the Environment (PAE) 2015, Singapore's highest environmental accolade.

Organised by the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, this annual award recognises individuals, educational institutions and organisations for their outstanding contributions towards environmental and water resource sustainability in Singapore.

This year marks the award's 10th anniversary since 2006 and the first time where there are four winners instead of three.

The other winners are Kirtida Mekani, a member of a registered charity Garden City Fund (GCF); East View Primary School; and Systems on Silicon Manufacturing Company.

They received the award from President Tony Tan Keng Yam at a ceremony held at the Istana on Wednesday.

Calling Mr Kwek "a visionary and strong advocate for the environment", CDL said that Mr Kwek has championed sustainable practices to be adopted by businesses and spearheaded CDL's sustainability strategy since 1995.

Read more!

Father and son jailed for illegally importing sugar gliders, spotted doves

The duo tried to import two spotted doves and three sugar gliders into Singapore on Aug 25, but were stopped by the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority at Tuas Checkpoint.
Channel NewsAsia 8 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE: A father-and-son pair was sentenced to three and two months’ jail respectively for smuggling animals into Singapore on Wednesday (Oct 7).

Toh Ng Siow, 44, and his son Toh Han Rong, 20, also received the same sentence for the charge of animal cruelty as the illegally-imported animals were subjected to unnecessary suffering or pain. Both sentences will run concurrently.

The two Singaporeans had attempted to import two spotted doves and three sugar gliders into Singapore on Aug 25. However, their efforts were in vain after the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) detected the animals in a Singapore-registered car at Tuas Checkpoint.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) was notified and according to investigations, it was revealed that the animals - sourced from Johor, Malaysia - were imported into Singapore without the relevant import licences.

The smuggled animals were also transported in a manner that subjected them to unnecessary suffering or pain, AVA said. Food and water were not provided to the animals during the transportation.

Said AVA in a press release: “The spotted doves were kept in compressed bird cages that were hidden precariously outside the vehicle (in the gap between the rear bumper and the car boot). Placed in close proximity to the road, the journey would have been hot, noisy and bumpy for the spotted doves. Such conditions of travel would have caused significant stress to the spotted doves.”

The sugar gliders were concealed in a small black pouch, and placed behind the glove compartment that was enclosed, small and covered, reducing ventilation for the sugar gliders. The smuggled animals were seized and sent to the Singapore Zoo and the Jurong Bird Park.

The elder Toh will start his three-month jail term on Wednesday, while Han Rong’s jail term starts on Dec 14. He is currently out on S$8,000 bail and his passport has been impounded.

AVA also reiterated to members of the public that under the Animals and Birds Act, it is an offence to import or tranship any animal or bird without written authorisation. Those found committing this offence are liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding S$10,000 or to imprisonment for a term of up to 12 months, or both.

- CNA/xk

Read more!

SGX-listed firms expected to publish sustainability report from FY2017

This will help meet growing demand from investors for more information on sustainable aspects of businesses, says Singapore Exchange.
Nicole Tan Channel NewsAsia 7 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE: Companies listed on Singapore Exchange (SGX) will be expected to publish sustainability reports on a comply-or-explain basis starting from Financial Year 2017. SGX said this will help meet growing demand from investors for more information on sustainable aspects of businesses.

Ahead of the implementation, SGX has been gathering feedback from investors and companies on how to best execute the new requirements.

Singapore's first naturally-cooled mall, Star Vista, is among a rising number of green buildings in the city-state. Amid a growing desire for sustainable business practices, SGX is challenging firms to articulate and disclose what they have done in this area.

SGX special advisor Yeo Lian Sim, said: “As an exchange, we do not tell companies how they run their businesses, but we do tell companies that they should produce reports and make disclosures in a timely manner to investors who have invested in their equity.

“The reporting is of what the company already does. So we have seen for instance from our focus groups, that companies - large and small - already manage their risks, and they try and realise opportunities. So, what they have not yet done is to articulate these risks in terms of environmental and social and governance metrics."

In 2011, SGX released a set of guidelines for sustainability reporting for listed firms. Currently, the move is voluntary - but already, 160 out of 537 of mainboard-listed companies published these reports in 2013.

Ms Yeo added: "Investors clearly want it, they are in favour of the increased understanding it gives them. For the company, making these sustainability reports will be some increased effort for sure, but there are also benefits. These better-informed companies have investors that are likely to be more lasting, and that definitely should translate into value for the company."

Industry watchers have said it is a step in the right direction in encouraging sustainable business practices.

EY Climate Change and Sustainability Services partner K Sadashiv, said: "Those who are already doing, or taking steps that are of a sustainable nature that have not been reporting, will begin to showcase what exactly they are doing to make it clearer.

“And those who have not embarked on doing anything at all, would because of this start thinking of doing something. So, you will find a mixed bag of companies, those who have already done something will start talking about it. Those who have not yet done anything, will start doing it, which will lead to reporting. Unless they have carried out some activities, they will have nothing to report on."

Separately, the Association of Banks in Singapore is set to announce new guidelines on responsible financing later this week.

- CNA/xk

Read more!

New app scans barcode of product to reveal supply source

A new app that allows consumers to authenticate and trace a product's source was launched, announced GS1 Singapore on Wednesday (Oct 7).
Calvin Hui Channel NewsAsia 7 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE: A new app that allows consumers to authenticate and trace a product's supply source will be developed, announced GS1 Singapore on Wednesday (Oct 7).

With this app, consumers scan the barcode of a product to access detailed information and verify its supply source and authenticity.

The app, called Authenticateit, was launched by GS1 Singapore in collaboration with AuthenticateIT (AIT), an Australian tech firm, at the 2015 GSI Asia Pacific Forum.

It is available for free download on the Apple and Google Play app store.

CEO of GS1 Singapore Mr Liew Wai Leong said: "This solution will benefit brand owners and consumers alike - consumers will be assured of the authenticity and supply traceability of the product, and brand owners can ride on this faith to build consumer trust and further boost their brand image."

GS1 standards give a common language to identify, capture and share supply chain data. This supply chain standards system serves close to two million companies across 150 countries globally.

The forum highlighted the growing importance of GS1 standards to help businesses and organisations increase operational efficiencies and visibility of supply chains, especially in healthcare, retail, e-commerce and logistics.

Speaking at the event, guest-of-honour Minister of State for Manpower Mr Teo Ser Luck said that GS1 Singapore works with organisations and public agencies such as SPRING Singapore and the Infocomm Development Authority to encourage the adoption of such standards.

He added: "These standards are very critical for the whole flow and facilitation of trade. There are currently close to 2000 members, companies across multiple sectors using the GS1 standards."

GS1 Singapore is a member organization of GS1 Global and one of the Centres of Excellence under the Singapore Manufacturing Federation.

- CNA/wl

Read more!

Mail sent to Pulau Ubin by drone in world-first SingPost trial

The 2-kilometer test flight from Lorong Halus to the island off Singapore's north-eastern coast took 5 minutes, and carried a payload of a letter as well as T-shirt in a packet, SingPost said.

Channel NewsAsia 8 Oct 15;


SINGAPORE: Mail delivered in flight, with not a postman in sight? The first step toward making this a daily reality was taken after Singapore Post successfully trialled a mail run from mainland Singapore to Pulau Ubin - the first time in the world a postal service has successfully used an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for point-to-point recipient-authenticated mail delivery.

The last-mile mail and packet drone delivery from Lorong Halus to Pulau Ubin trial was successfully completed as part of a joint development between SingPost and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), the postal service provider announced on Oct 8 (Thursday).

The 2-kilometer test flight took 5 minutes, and carried a payload of a letter as well as T-shirt in a packet, SingPost said.

The drone was built upon the Pixhawk Steadidrone platform by IDA Labs, and is tailored for use in a challenging environment like Singapore, SingPost said in a press release. The drone is equipped with enhanced safety features, and comes with a prototype app designed with security and verification features to ensure mail reaches its intended recipient.

It has the capacity to carry a payload of up to half a kilogramme, fly at a height of up to 45 metres and travel for 2.3km. The focus of the flight was to test the drone technology and safety boundaries.

"SingPost’s exploration of the drone technology is a move to provide enhanced end-to-end solutions to facilitate urban logistics as well as tap on the burgeoning eCommerce growth in Asia Pacific," the postal operator added.

"LITERALLY AIMING FOR THE SKY"

Added IDA Managing Director Jacqueline Poh: “The successful conclusion of this trial shows how SingPost is thinking out of the box and its willingness to expand its traditional mail delivery model in innovative ways.

"Although it will be a while before it is viable for drone mail delivery to take off in Singapore, taking into consideration commercial and safety factors; this first step by SingPost and IDA demonstrates what Singapore is trying out with our Smart Nation vision – to have the various parts of our ecosystem collaborate, experiment with new ways of doing things, and in the process, literally aim for the sky with new technology."

Said Dr Bernard Leong, Head of Digital Services at SingPost: “There is immense potential in UAV technology for last-mile mail and ecommerce delivery. As SingPost transforms into an eCommerce logistics enabler, we will continue to collaborate with industry leaders and chart new frontiers.

"Not only do we want to enable or accelerate eCommerce, we hope to contribute towards building Singapore into a Smart Nation, where technology improves the quality of lives. We seek continuous exploration to break new ground, innovate and harness technology to bring end-to-end solutions that matter to our customers.”

The multi-agency Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Committee facilitated this trial. Said its Chairman, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport Pang Kin Keong: “The UAS Committee has been encouraging and discussing with public and private sector organisations on innovative uses of UAS, and facilitating such trials. The technology opens up numerous exciting possibilities which could help us enhance operational productivity, efficiency and effectiveness.”

SingPost said the trial drone flight was conducted with permissions and cooperation from IDA, the Ministry of Transport, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, Republic of Singapore Air Force as well as the Singapore Police Force.

- CNA/es

Mail sent to Pulau Ubin by drone in world-first SingPost trial
Today Online 8 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE — Drones as postmen? For the first time globally, a drone has been used successfully to deliver mail.

The trial by SingPost and the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) saw a letter and a t-shirt in a package delivered from Lorong Halus to Pulau Ubin by a drone. The 2km trip took about 5 minutes.

This makes as the first time a postal service has used an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for point-to-point recipient-authenticated mail delivery, SingPost said in a news release today (Oct 8).

The drone used was built upon the IDA Labs’s Pixhawk Steadidrone platform to meet the new conceptual delivery platform from SingPost. On top of some safety features, it comes with a prototype app designed with security and verification features that ensures the mail reaches its intended recipient.

While the focus of the successful flight was to test the drone technology and safety boundaries, the drone was built with the capacity to carry a payload of up to half a kilogramme, fly at a height of up to 45 metres and travel a distance of 2.3 kilometres

“SingPost’s exploration of the drone technology is a move to provide enhanced end-to-end solutions to facilitate urban logistics as well as tap on the burgeoning eCommerce growth in Asia Pacific,” said the postal operator, adding that the region’s electronic commerce is expected to reach US$175 billion (S$247 billion) by 2016..

“The successful conclusion of this trial shows how SingPost is thinking out of the box and its willingness to expand its traditional mail delivery model in innovative ways,” said Jacqueline Poh, Managing Director at IDA.

“Although it will be a while before it is viable for drone mail delivery to take off in Singapore, taking into consideration commercial and safety factors, this first step by SingPost and IDA demonstrates what Singapore is trying out with our Smart Nation vision.”

Said Group Chief Executive Officer of SingPost, Dr Wolfgang Baier: “We are seeing success in our digital transformation which did not happen overnight. Our success is made possible through collaborations with industry experts and our business partners. Now, we want to make innovation more accessible and bring more tangible benefits to our customers and consumers.”

The multi-agency Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Committee, which had facilitated the trial, has been discussing with public and private sector organisations on innovative uses of UAS.

“The technology opens up numerous exciting possibilities which could help us enhance operational productivity, efficiency and effectiveness. All this, of course, needs to be carried in a safe manner, both for the public as well as aviation,” said Mr Pang Kin Keong, the committee’s chairman and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport.



Got mail to deliver? These are the drones you’re looking for
TOH EE MING Today Online 8 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE — Drones serving as postmen could become a reality here, if a successful trial by SingPost and the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is any indication.

The trial on Sept 25 saw a letter and a T-shirt in a packet delivered from Lorong Halus to Pulau Ubin by an unmanned aerial vehicle. The 2km trip took about five minutes.

SingPost said today (Oct 8) the drone test marked the first time a postal service in the world had successfully used an unmanned aerial vehicle for “point-to-point recipient-authenticated mail delivery”.

While postal services in Switzerland and France have carried out similar trials, they do not have a secure authentication function as yet, said a SingPost spokesman.

To ensure that the package reaches the intended recipient, the drone is equipped with enhanced safety features, and is complemented with a prototype mobile app designed with security and verification features.

For instance, the mail route is programmed and a recipient is assigned in the system. Upon reaching the delivery point, the recipient will have to verify his identity through the mobile app. If the authentication fails or is not sent from the phone to the drone within three minutes, the drone will fly back to its original location.

Built using the Pixhawk Steadidrone platform by IDA Labs, the drone is equipped with a parachute to ensure a soft landing and a GPS system for tracking purposes.

A manual override is also possible if the drone veers off course.

IDA’s managing director Jacqueline Poh said: “The successful conclusion of this trial shows how SingPost is thinking out of the box and its willingness to expand its traditional mail delivery model in innovative ways.”

One benefit of drone delivery is that it can save time in delivering mail.

For instance, a 73-year-old postman serving the Pulau Ubin area currently delivers about 40 letters a day.

To get to the island, he has to wait for the bumboat to fill up with enough passengers before it can depart from Changi Ferry Terminal. On slow days, when there are fewer people going to the island, the wait can take up to half an hour.

The drone can carry a load of up to 0.5kg, fly at a height of up to 45m and travel over a distance of 2.3km.

Dr Bernard Leong, SingPost’s head of digital services, said drone technology offers “immense potential” in meeting the booming growth of e-commerce delivery.

The e-commerce market in the Asia-Pacific is expected to reach US$175 billion (S$247 billion) by next year. For now, SingPost says that it has no concrete plans for the commercialisation of drone deliveries.

When asked if such drone deliveries would replace the postman’s role, a SingPost spokesperson said: “Our postmen will continue to be instrumental in terms of last-mile delivery, while robotics do the heavy-lifting ... As our business transforms, the role of our postmen will also evolve over time.”

The SingPost drone test was conducted with the cooperation of various government agencies, such as the Ministry of Transport, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, and Republic of Singapore Air Force.


It's a bird… it's a plane… it's the postman
Irene Tham, Straits Times AsiaOne 9 Oct 15;

Your postman could one day be a drone. Last month, Singapore Post completed an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) delivery trial, touted as the world's first successful test by a postal service provider.

The trial, which took place on Sept 25, involved an off-the-shelf drone system customised by engineers from SingPost and the government-backed Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) Labs.

It flew 2km, between Lorong Halus and Pulau Ubin, carrying a letter and T-shirt in a packet.

The drone prototype has safety features designed for dense urban areas. It can carry up to 500g, and fly at a height of up to 45m.

Its delivery route can be controlled by an in-house smartphone app, complete with verification features, to ensure that the mail reaches its intended recipient.

"There is immense potential in UAV technology for last-mile mail and e-commerce delivery," said Dr Bernard Leong, head of digital services at SingPost. For instance, delivery times can be shortened as the flight paths can be more direct than road delivery routes, he said.

Since US e-commerce giant Amazon's announcement last year of a potential drone-based delivery service, consumers have been excited about this possibility. But obstacles remain. SingPost, for instance, could not project when drone delivery would become the norm. Common challenges include safety concerns, weight limits, distance limits and weather restrictions.

"Although it will be a while before it is viable for drone mail delivery to take off in Singapore... this first step by SingPost and IDA demonstrates what Singapore is trying out with our smart nation vision," said IDA managing director Jacqueline Poh.

She said the vision is to have various parts of Singapore's ecosystem collaborating and experimenting with new ways of doing things.

SingPost received the green light from the Ministry of Transport, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and the Singapore Police Force for its first drone trial.

Last month, the Finnish postal service also trialled the use of drones to deliver packages although its test drone landed away from the designated landing zone.

Republic Polytechnic lecturer Sasidharan Nair, who teaches a course on drone videography, said a drone would be handy for reaching offshore islands such as Sentosa or Pulau Ubin.

"Other instances where drones can come in handy include medical emergencies, search and rescue missions and disaster management," he said.

Read more!

Malaysia: Shark Protection in Sabah is Necessary, says Sabah Shark Protection Association (SSPA)

WWF 6 Oct 15;

6 Oct, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah: Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister, Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek in a recent article in The Rakyat Post mentioned that the ban on shark hunting in Sabah is deemed unnecessary. Datuk Seri Shabery mentioned that sharks, unlike tuna, are accidentally caught by fishermen in Malaysian waters, indicating that shark hunting and the finning industry did not exist in Malaysia.

Malaysia is ranked as the world’s ninth-largest shark producer and third-largest importer in volume terms, according to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nation’s report entitled State of the global market for shark products. From 2000 to 2011, Malaysia recorded average annual shark fin imports of 1 172 tonnes, worth USD3.2 million (approximately RM14 million) and average annual shark fin exports 238 tonnes, worth USD902 000 (approximately RM3.9 million).

The report clearly indicates that Malaysia is a major shark producer with a large consumer market for shark fins, posting large import volumes of low-valued shark fins. The demand for shark fin and meat leads to the high volumes of sharks being caught in the country.

Sabah Shark Protection Association (SSPA) urgently calls for Malaysia to take serious action to manage its shark and ray population by implementing its international and local commitment.

There are currently no catch quotas for catching sharks and rays in Malaysian waters, and government statistics show a declining trend in annual catches since a high in 2003, indicating shark populations may be in decline. Sharks are one of many groups of fishes targeted by multi-species fisheries, which include the use of trawling and gill nets, and require specific management measures if they are to be sustainable. The fins of sharks caught in Malaysia waters are typically removed at the landing site, demonstrating that the sale of the fins is part of the income of fishers who catch them.

It is commendable that Department of Fisheries Malaysia (DoFM) has revised its National Plan of Action (NPOA) in 2014, which recognised the importance of managing our shark population, and has put in place measures to strengthen protection of shark in Malaysia.

The current NPOA, under Action 5 IV, calls for amendment of existing regulation or impose conditions on fishing licence to combat the issue of absence in finning regulations under the current legal framework. Putting this action in place will provide stronger protection for sharks in Malaysia, and particularly in Sabah. Requiring sharks to be brought to shore with their fins attached will not necessarily reduce the amount of sharks killed, but it will ensure that the whole sharks are landed, making it far more straightforward for authorities to monitor shark catches to a species level.

Sharks are particularly vulnerable to over-exploitation because they are slow-growing, mature at a late age, and have relatively low productivity. Therefore, their populations are slow to recover once overfished. This is a major concern as many species of sharks are top predators and play an important role in balancing the marine ecosystems.

Tracking back into the history of Malaysia’s commitment in the conservation of the country’s biodiversity, besides being a signatory to the CITES agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1993, our Prime Minister, Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak, declared the country’s commitment to protect biodiversity in Malaysia as part of the Coral Triangle region during the Leaders Summit of the Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI) in May 2009.

However, this commitment falls far short when it comes to sharks.

Malaysia, under the International Trade in Endangered Species Act 2008, protects sharks for trade, but it does not address the issue of shark finning and hunting.

Overfishing, destructive fishing methods (like fish bombing), pollution and unsustainable coastal development have led to significant declines in coral reefs, and negatively impacted the species reliant on these habitats, which are integral to the survival and health of the marine ecosystem.

Datuk Seri Shabery also mentioned that his ministry was open to discuss the shark finning ban with the Sabah Government at any time – SSPA urges that the need is not only on discussing the proposal to set up a shark protection area, but the urgency of strengthening shark protection under relevant conservation and fisheries laws in Malaysia.

The shark protected area refers to the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPA); areas designated and effectively managed to protect marine ecosystems, processes habitats and species, which can contribute to the restoration and replenishment of resources for social, economic and cultural enrichment.

Effective implementation of MPA networks requires commitment from the government, multilateral agencies, civil society, communities and businesses.

Masidi proposes ban on shark hunting
New Straits Times 8 Oct 15;

KOTA KINABALU: Action needs to be taken to protect the local shark population which is dwindling, especially in Sabah.

State Tourism, Culture and Environment Minister Datuk Masidi Manjun said there were certain species of sharks that needed to be protected and these should be included in existing law such as the Fisheries Act.

“Actually they don’t even have to amend the act but have a discussion to include certain categories of sharks that should be fully protected.

“In my opinion, it doesn’t have to go to the parliament because this is just a question of gazetting…There is a Fisheries Act which is enforceable in Sabah but the act doesn’t provide this (ban on shark hunting).”

He told reporters this after launching the Borneo Beads Carnival at the Sabah Museum today.

Masidi was commenting on Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek’s recent statement that there was no need to ban shark fishing as unlike tuna fishing, there was no shark hunting industry in the country.

“The fact that there is no shark fishing industry will be a good reason for us to ban it because that means there’s minimal economic repercussions to those involved in the trade,” he added.

Masidi said if shark hunting was not controlled, it would also affect the tourism industry as there were many tourists and divers who visited Sabah to see sharks in the wild.

Read more!

Indonesia seizes shark fins destined for Hong Kong

The haul, worth one billion rupiah, came from around 3,000 oceanic whitetip sharks which were caught in the waters around Java island.
Channel NewsAsia 7 Oct 15;

JAKARTA: Indonesian authorities have seized about 3,000 shark fins that were about to be flown to Hong Kong, an official said Wednesday (Oct 7), a rare success in the battle against the illegal trade.

The fins from the oceanic whitetip shark, a species protected in Indonesia and banned from export, were seized last week at the international airport that serves the capital Jakarta, government official Rusnanto, who goes by one name, told AFP.

"The fins came from around 3,000 oceanic whitetip sharks which were caught in the waters around Java island," said the official who works for an agency that deals with fish, referring to Indonesia's main island.

He said the haul was worth one billion rupiah (US$72,000) in Indonesia but would fetch several times that amount in Hong Kong, where shark fins are considered a delicacy.

Officials found the fins in boxes that were due to be exported, he said. The export company was being investigated, he added, without giving the name. Hong Kong is one of the world's biggest markets for shark fin, which is often served as a soup at expensive Chinese banquets.

More than 70 million sharks are killed every year, according to environmental group WWF. Huge quantities are exported annually to Hong Kong, and most of those fins are then sent on to mainland China.

Conservationists have long been raising the alarm about shark-fishing in Indonesia, and point to signs that populations have been declining across the whole archipelago, which consists of more than 17,000 islands. Efforts to crack down on the illegal trade have been hampered by weak law enforcement and a failure to offer poor fishermen alternative ways of earning a living.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies the oceanic whitetip shark as "vulnerable" and says catches, particularly in international waters, are inadequately monitored.

- AFP/yt

Read more!