Indonesia: Hot weather may spark fires in N. Sumatra

Jakarta Post 28 Jun 16;

The Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) reported on Monday that temperatures in the eastern part of North Sumatra were rising and may lead to new hot spots in forests.

Mega Sirait, an official at the BMKG office in Kualanamu, said that the rise in temperature was caused by east monsoon winds that carry dry weather from Australia and cause rain in the region.

“The eastern part of North Sumatra is now entering the dry season. Temperatures can reach 36 degrees Celsius during the day, and 26 degrees C at night,” Mega told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Temperatures in the province usually peak between June and July, he went on, and people take the opportunity to burn land and forests to open new plantations. So far this year, however, the agency has discovered no significant hot spots caused by burning.

“We have only detected hot spots in Padang Lawas regency,” Mega revealed.

Medan BMKG office information officer Sunadi urged residents to reduce outdoor activities in order to stay healthy during Ramadhan.

“For those who are fasting, the hot weather is exhausting,” he said.

Sunardi said it was better for residents to remain at home to avoid dehydration and migraines caused by the heat.

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Indonesia: 5 palm oil firms face lawsuit over forest fires

Hans Nicholas Jong The Jakarta Post 28 Jun 16;

The government is gearing up to take some of the alleged perpetrators of last year’s massive forest fires to court for the first time. However, an environmental organization has lamented the limited scope of the action in comparison to the profound damage caused by the fires.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry is in the final stage of filing civil lawsuits against five palm oil companies allegedly responsible for some of the 2015 forest fires, a tragedy that has been called a crime against humanity as it killed 19 people, mostly children, and caused more than US$16 billion in economic losses.

Amid public pressure, the government decided to hand down administrative sanctions to 23 companies suspected of being behind the land and forest fires last year. These companies had their land-clearing licenses either revoked or frozen for their failure to act to prevent the fires, which led to the worst pollution in the region for almost two decades.

While the government has started legal action in response to the fires, it has not taken any cases to court yet.

According to the ministry’s environmental dispute settlement director Jasmin Ragil Utomo, the process of taking last year’s forest fires to court takes a long time because there are numerous steps that the government has to take.

“There is field work, laboratory investigations, calculations and processing the cases through evidence. This takes a long time because the evidence is scattered not only in companies but also in other institutions,” he told The Jakarta Post.

Jasmin refused to name the five companies.

The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) legal and executive policy manager Muhnur Satyahaprabu said the lawsuits were not comparable to the scale of last year’s fires.

“Five companies is too few. If the names of the companies behind last year’s forest fires were published, the number could be dozens,” he told the Post.

Providing more detail on the cases, Jasmin said the government wanted to implement the concept of strict liability, which was why it took a long time to prepare the lawsuits.

Strict liability is recognized by Article 88 of Law No. 32/2009 on the environment, which stipulates that any person whose actions, business and/or activities use hazardous or toxic waste ( B3 ), produce and/or manage toxic waste and/or cause serious threats to the environment is fully responsible for the damage done, without their liability having to be proven.

Law experts said the article could be used to immediately put responsibility for the fires on the shoulders of the culprits, even though there was no proof that the fires on their concessions had been caused by them or their negligence.

Jasmin said the government would use strict liability in two of the five lawsuits, while it would provide it as an option to judges in the other three.

“So even though the companies did something to prevent the forest fires, as long as there’s pollution and environmental damage, they’re still responsible,” he said.

Each of the five companies allegedly burned between 500 and 2,000 hectares of land in Palembang, South Sumatra, Jambi and South Kalimantan, totalling more than 2.6 million ha of land, or 4.5 times the size of Bali Island.

“We can’t choose the size of the case because when we went to the field, that’s what we found, between 500 ha and 2,000 ha. If we pinpoint a bigger case, then of course we will deal with it,” Jasmin said.

Besides using the strict liability concept, the ministry also plans to strengthen the role of experts in its law enforcement.

The ministry’s law enforcement director general Rasio Ridho Sani said he would build a network of experts who could support the government’s law enforcement in environmental cases.

“We will involve them from the very beginning, especially in cases that are complex and science-based. The support from experts will help judges understand the technicalities of environmental cases,” he said.

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Indonesia: Whale sharks seen in Gorontalo

Antara 28 Jun 16;

Gorontalo (ANTARA News) - At least three whale sharks were seen in the waters near the Saronde Island of Gorontalo Province in the last two days.

The director of PT Gorontalo Alam Bahari, Mia Amalia, said here on Tuesday that the whale sharks were of varying sizes.

"While the whale shark that was seen yesterday was nine meters in length, the two seen earlier were smaller," Amalia said.

She added that some employees in Saronde saw the whale sharks from up close. The creatures were looking for food near the Saronde dock.

Amalia noted the whale sharks hunt the fishes and plankton near the island since the Saronde waters are home to many kinds of small fish.

While locals have been noticing the whale sharks since last month, the creatures were seen closer to the seashore in recent weeks.

Amalia said the whale shark has the potential to attract tourists to the island.

The Saronde Island is a favorite tourism destination in Gorontalo and has a restaurant, cottages and water sports.

The whale sharks were also seen in Botubarani Village of Bone Bolango District in March, 2016, turning it into an incidental tourism site for a week.

The administration noted that at least thousands of tourists visited the area on Sunday.(*)

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Indonesia: Gorontalo locals told to protect turtles

Syamsul Huda M. Suhari The Jakarta Post 28 Jun 16;

Dudepo Island is part of a chain of islets in North Gorontalo regency, Gorontalo province, facing the Sulawesi Sea and the Pacific Ocean. The island, located some 14 kilometers away from Anggrek Seaport, can be reached by boat in around half an hour in fine weather.

It is on this fairly remote island that the Gorontalo Nusa Warna community has been holding a variety of literacy activities for the past three years. They set up a small hut, measuring 12 square meters, called the Dream Room, in which members of the community provide education in remote areas. They teach children in fishing communities how to read papers, and other skills, and guide them in various creative activities.

“We have been focusing on providing environmental awareness lately, especially in turtle conservation, because on the island, inhabited by more than 1,000 people, turtle hunting is extensive, either for consumption or [trade],” said Um Ayman Fikriani, a literacy activist from the Nusa Warna community, on Monday.

Ayman, usually called Aika, was once offered a side dish of turtle meat there. Even recently, she found fishermen bringing home green turtles (Chelonia mydas) from fishing. They were about to sell the turtles, which were still small, at the relatively cheap price of Rp 100,000 (US$7.40) each.

“I asked them to sell me a turtle. They asked me what it was for and I told them I would return it to the sea, so they refused,” she said.

Lately, she found out the turtles were not accidentally caught, but had been ordered specifically by someone in Limboto, Gorontalo regency.

Aika and her community then became more vigorous in campaigning for turtle protection on the remote island, focusing on fishermen’s elementary school-aged children.

The children were told about the important role of turtles in the marine ecosystem. Green turtles, for example, play an important role in spreading nutrients into the sea through their droppings, which become fertilizer or feed for a variety of marine life. Their existence is quite important, keeping in mind the cruising range of turtles which is quite extensive, reaching tens of thousands of kilometers.

Besides that, together with children in coastal communities, the campaign has also held beach clean-up activities. The massive volume of garbage along the coast also endangers turtle survival. Waste, especially styrofoam, can kill hatchling turtles that accidentally eat it.

The Nusa Warna community also distributed flyers to homes urging residents to not kill, consume or trade in turtles, as well as explaining the ecological reasons.

“We know it’s no easy matter, but at least we are making an effort,” said Aika.

Gorontalo is known as a turtle habitat. Of the seven species of sea turtles in the world, Gorontalo has at least four of them, namely the green turtle, the hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta).

Gorontalo is home to two turtle conservation areas: Panua natural reserve in Pohuwato regency, located in the Tomini Bay region, and Popaya Mas Raja natural reserve, a Dutch heritage conservation area located in North Gorontalo regency, close to Dudepo Island.

Recently, the police caught a fisherman in waters off Torosiaje village, a floating village of the Bajo ethnic community in Pohuwato, carrying a green turtle on his boat.

“Our members provided counselling for the man and released the turtle back into the sea,” said Gorontalo Police spokesperson Adj. Sr. Comr. Bagus Santoso.

Torosiaje community figure Umar Pasandre said the practice of turtle hunting was taking place due to demand. A turtle can fetch between Rp 100,000 and Rp 300,000 depending on its size.

Some also order them, for a variety of reasons, such as to be served as side dishes at weddings, as a tola-tola snack and as an accompaniment for traditional liquor.

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Indonesia Faces Environmental Time Bomb After Coal Bust

Fergus Jensen Jakarta Globe 29 Jun 16;

Samarinda. Thousands of mines are closing in Indonesia's tropical coal belt as prices languish and seams run dry. But almost none of the companies have paid their share of billions of dollars owed to repair the badly scarred landscape they have left behind.

Abandoned mine pits dot the bare, treeless hillsides in Samarinda, the capital of East Kalimantan province on Indonesia's part of Borneo island. It is ground zero for a coal boom that made Indonesia the world's biggest exporter of the mineral that fuels power plants. Abandoned mining pits have now become death traps for children who swim in them, and their acidic water is killing nearby rice paddies.

Indonesia has tried, mostly in vain, to get mining companies to keep their promises to clean up the ravaged landscape. But it doesn't even have basic data on who holds the many thousands of mining licenses that were handed out during the boom days, officials say.

"Nobody was in control," said Dian Patria, who works on natural resources at the country's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Patria estimated that 90 percent of the more than 10,000 mining license holders had not paid the reclamation funds they owe by law. One-third are for coal.

Even if they wanted to, many companies now lack the cash. The same large banks that lent billions during the boom have now pulled out of coal, wary of the sector's commercial outlook and contribution to climate change.

The problem is not unique to Indonesia. As mineral prices languish, even major global miners are trying to avoid hundreds of millions of dollars in increasingly hefty closure costs, mostly by selling off pits.

Few question asked

After pro-democracy protesters swept Indonesia's authoritarian president Suharto from power in 1998, the Jakarta government gave towns and districts control of natural resources as part of far-reaching decentralization reforms aimed at preventing the archipelago from fracturing.

Newly empowered local leaders handed out thousands of mining licenses, many of them to small operators, as coal prices leapt from around $40 per tonne in 2005 to nearly $200 at their peak in 2008. In East Kalimantan alone, around half the province was covered in coal mining permits.

Under President Joko Widodo, elected in 2014, Indonesia has promised to turn around its dismal environmental record. The administration has also wrested control over natural resources away from local leaders, giving it to provincial governors instead.

Awang Faroek Ishak, East Kalimantan's governor, has issued a moratorium on new licenses. He is threatening to punish mining companies that have failed to restore the land, he said in an interview. But the data on mining companies and funds for rehabilitation are missing, he said.

"How can we look into this if we don't have the documents," he complained.

Greenpeace activist Kiki Taufik says governors do, however, have the authority to freeze permits and operations while they investigate. "The governors have authority, but they never use this authority."

Patchy oversight

Most of the mining licenses went to small firms, many of which have gone bankrupt or simply abandoned their operations, mining industry officials say.

"For now, it's really difficult not to lose money," said Budi Situmorang, a mining engineer at small coal miner CV Arjuna. "All we can really do is hold on. Looking at the 56 mines in Samarinda, no more than 10 are still active."

The mining companies themselves are supposed to restore the land from money they paid into accounts held at state banks and supervised by local officials.

"That's what you're supposed to do, but in practice very few people do it," except for the major mining firms, the head of Indonesia's Coal Mining Association, Pandu Sjahrir, told Reuters.

The central government has had a list since 2011 of nearly 4,000 licenses that have failed to meet their requirements. It expects to be able to revoke the problematic permits only by January 2017.

Patria's team at the anti-corruption agency is pushing for the national government's Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) to investigate miners - including over unpaid rehabilitation funds estimated in the hundreds of millions.

Even that is only a fraction of the cash that would actually be required, says Merah Johansyah from the Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM).

Pressure from campaigners is increasing as mine closures reach a peak by 2020, according to some industry estimates. One set of 2,272 coal permits and contracts, compiled by mining consultancy SMGC and reviewed by Reuters, showed the average expiry date of the permit is October 2017.

Mining without permits

But environmental watchdogs say an end to permits does not mean an end to mining. "In East Kalimantan, even where permits have long been revoked, they're still operating," Syahrul Fitra, a legal researcher at the environmental NGO Auriga told Reuters. "What we found in the field is that no punishments have been applied."

In areas where companies are conducting reclamation activities, it is usually not to replant forests—most mining concessions are being turned into housing developments, agricultural land or other uses, environmentalists and industry officials say.

In the meantime, the run-off water and mud from abandoned pits, numbering around 150 in Samarinda alone, are polluting surrounding rice paddies and rivers.

After his employer closed a small mine in Samarinda, Suyadi, who like many Indonesians uses one name, went back to working the small rice paddy on his family's farm on the edge of the city. The mines, however, have followed him there.

"Like it or not, the tailing flow here," says Suyadi, referring to the stream of chemically treated mining debris that is left after coal is extracted.

"If they continue to leave it like this, where else will that water flow? To the lower areas where there are rice paddies," Suyadi said.

The attractive aqua hue of the water in the abandoned pits conceals a darker story: 24 local children using them as swimming holes have drowned around Samarinda over the past five years.


Govt prepares lawsuits against coal mining firms
Hans Nicholas Jong The Jakarta Post 30 Jun 16;

The government is seeking to sue more companies blamed for 25 deaths at depleted coal mine pits in East Kalimantan that took place between 2011 and 2016 after years of protracted inaction.

The Environment and Forestry Ministry is currently collecting data and information regarding the deaths in order to build legal cases against the mining companies.

“We will enforce criminal law [on these companies],” the ministry’s law enforcement director-general Rasio Ridho Sani told The Jakarta Post.

So far, the East Kalimantan Police have named suspects in six cases involving deaths. Two cases occurred in Kutai Kartanegara and four in Samarinda.

The police, however, have declined to disclose which companies are responsible for those cases, saying that “those responsible will flee” if their names are revealed to the media.

Besides enforcing the law, the government has also taken some steps so that the depleted coal mine pits do not claim more lives in the future.

“We have taken some steps since the end of 2014,” Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar told the Post.

Those steps include ordering two coal companies to halt their operations so that they could close down the pits, according to Rasio.

East Kalimantan Governor Awang Faroek Ishak has also stopped the operations of 11 companies, he added.

“Furthermore, the Environment and Forestry Ministry, the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, the Presidential Staff Office, the Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK] and the East Kalimantan provincial government have met with 111 mining companies to ensure that they uphold good mining practices to prevent further casualties and environmental devastation,” Rasio said.

Last month, the Presidential Staff Office also promised to coordinate with the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry and the Environment and Forestry Ministry to handle the cases in the near future.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) and the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) have decried the government’s protracted inaction in dealing with the deaths, saying that the government had neglected its foremost obligation to monitor mining activities in three regions in the province, including Kutai Kartanegara, North Penajam Paser and Samarinda.

“We have found that the government turned a blind eye toward coal mining companies that did not conduct reclamation after mining activities that led to 25 deaths between 2011 and 2015,” KPAI chairman Asrorun Niam Sholeh said in a letter to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

He added that so far only one case had been brought to trial from the 25 deaths. He said further that the verdict in the trial was too lenient as the prosecutors only demanded two months of jail time.

“This thing really harmed justice because it did not affect the owner and decision makers in the company,” Asrorun said.

Komnas HAM commissioner Roichatul Aswidah said, meanwhile, that both the central government and local administrations had failed to uphold the obligation of companies to restore unused sites after 30 days without any mining activities, as stipulated in a 2010 governmental decree on reclamation and post-mining activity.

The 2010 governmental decree stipulates that a mining company is obliged to pay some amount of money to the government as a guarantee that they will restore their unused mining sites in the future.

“The government is obliged to monitor their activities. As the party responsible for granting mining permits to companies, the government could revoke those permits if they are found to have disregarded their obligations as stipulated by law,” Roichatul said.

According to data from Network for Mining Advocacy (Jatam) made available to the Post, death cases took place in unrestored mining sites owned by 17 private companies.

Three of these companies gained their mining permits from the central government, one obtained its permit from the provincial administration and the rest gained their permits from either the Samarinda Municipality or the Kutai Kartanegara and North Penajam Paser Regency.

Another Komnas HAM commissioner, Siti Noor Laila, said recalcitrant companies had violated a number of human rights, ranging from the right to life and the right to safety to the rights of children.

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Vietnam: Son Tra Nature Reserve biodiversity threatened

Overlapping efforts and poor management among agencies pose serious threats to biodiversity in the Son Tra Nature Reserve, a biologist said during a dialogue on protecting the red-shanked douc langur

VietNamNet Bridge 28 Jun 16;

The Da Nang-based reserve is home to 300 red-shanked douc langurs, which are critically endangered and found only in east-central Laos and Viet Nam. The animals are further threatened by illegal logging and rampant hunting.

Poor management resulted in the illegal logging of 10ha of forest in an area intended for local residents to use for commercial purposes. The case was only discovered when biologists from the Biodiversity Conservation Centre of GreenViet, an NGO in Da Nang, took a field trip to the area.

An effective management board is essential to monitor forest protection and the disaster response measures.

However, the reserve has yet to establish a management board, as other reserves have done nationwide. It is being managed by different agencies, including the Son Tra-Ngu Hanh Son forest protection sub-department; Tho Quang Ward’s administration; Son Tra peninsula’s management board of beaches and tourism; and the Border Guard, Air Defence and Navy.

GreenViet director Tran Huu Vy criticised the fact that each agency only manages one assigned area, and they do not work together to handle common problems and threats. He added that agencies should more closely monitor visitors at the reserve entrance.

“(Both residents and tourists) need to be supervised at the entrance into the reserve,” Vy said. “Loggers or poachers could come to the protected forest easily if they do not have a check-in procedure at the control post.”

Vy, who spent over 10 years researching biodiversity in the Son Tra Nature Reserve, said illegal hunters would use steel wire traps and handmade air guns to kill wild animals for money. A live animal could earn an illegal hunter VND6 million (US$285).

In 2015, five hunters from Nghe An Province were arrested after they were caught with 100 traps, as well as a bag of dried meat and the bones of three red-shanked doucs.

The illegal hunters admitted that they had spent one month in the forest of Son Tra to hunt langurs.

The nature reserve has shrunk from over 4,400ha to 2,500ha to make room for the development of dozens of resorts and hotel projects in the area.

According to GreenViet’s latest survey, over 20 streams in the reserve have dried up – the worst it has seen in 20 years.

Vu Ngoc Thanh, a representative of the US-based Douc Langur Foundation, which operates as an NGO in Viet Nam, said the Son Tra Nature Reserve is a precious treasure of Da Nang that needs a special protection policy.

“You could not find any place like Son Tra Nature Reserve, as visitors can watch the endangered primates at close range any time of the year, even in bad weather conditions,” Thanh said.

He said scientists and biologists from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) agreed to list the red-shanked douc langur as critically endangered with unlimited protection status in the world. The IUCN had previously listed the animal as endangered in 2013.

He said Da Nang should choose the red-shanked douc langur as its symbol for promoting the rich biodiversity of the Son Tra Nature Reserve to the rest of the world.

Vy also suggested that the city create a special programme to protect biodiversity in the forest, as well as form an effective and uniform management team to handle illegal hunting and logging.

“It’s an urgent action, or biodiversity in the reserve will soon dwindle,” Vy said. “A checkpoint should be set up to control visitors at three main entrances into the Son Tra reserve, because over 10,000 visitors come to the reserve monthly.”

Nguyen Thi Hien, from the city’s Natural Resources and Environment Department, said the city has approved a plan through 2030 on the protection of biodiversity in Son Tra Nature Reserve.

She said the city plans to make the red-shanked douc langur the city’s symbol of biodiversity at the Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation Summit (APEC) in Da Nang next year.

A series of communication campaigns and education programmes on the protection of the red-shanked douc langur were launched by GreenViet and the Douc Langur Foundation at primary schools in Da Nang.

The Son Tra Nature Reserve, which is 600m above sea level, is known for its rich biodiversity, with 287 animal species and 985 plant species.

Despite an action plan outlined by the city administration, biologists and volunteers from GreenViet and rangers dismantled over 2,000 traps in the reserve, and continued to find traces of illegal hunting and logging in the area.
GreenViet is also co-operating with the Frankfurt Zoological Society of Germany, San Diego Zoo Global in the United States and the IUCN to protect the red-shanked douc langurs through long-term campaigns.

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Rains or not, India faces drinking water crisis

Channel NewsAsia 28 Jun 16;

GANGNAULI: As large swathes of drought-devastated India desperately wait for the monsoon rains to arrive, one village in the dry, hot north is flush with water.

But this farming area's bountiful water supplies are feared contaminated with heavy metals, underscoring the profound challenges facing the world's second most populous nation.

From toxic pollution of rivers and lakes to contamination of groundwater supplies, together with chronic shortages in drought-hit districts, India's water challenges are acute.

In Gangnauli village, residents suspect their groundwater has been polluted by waste from local industries.

"The children complain of stomach pains and skin problems and I fear for their health," Divya Rathi says as she watches her daughter play with buckets of water in her yard in Gangnauli in Uttar Pradesh state.

"We need the government to do something about this," said the 25-year-old, adding she could not afford the expensive water purifiers used by wealthier households.

More than 130 million people live in areas of India where groundwater supplies are contaminated with at least one dangerous pollutant such as arsenic or nitrate, according to the World Resources Institute.

Its analysis shows more than 20 million live in districts where supplies contain at least three pollutants exceeding safe limits.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government has pledged billions of dollars to clean up the filthy holy Ganges river, while efforts are also under way to stop raw sewage and industrial waste spewing into India's waterways.

But researcher Sushmita Sengupta warned it could be too late in some areas where groundwater has long been mismanaged.

"Once the groundwater is contaminated it's an almost irreversible process. Once it's destroyed it's lost forever," said Sengupta, of the Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment.

NOT ENOUGH DRINKING WATER

Parts of India are anxiously waiting for the annual monsoon currently sweeping across the country to provide relief to 330 million farmers and others.

But experts say the torrential rains will not solve India's water problems unless much more is done to manage supplies.

Rajendra Singh, dubbed the Water Man of India, said rains will fail to replenish the water table in many areas because unchecked urbanisation has destroyed wetlands and other natural recharge spots.

"It will just be a flash flood," said Singh, who has called for a ban on groundwater extraction for all purposes other than for drinking to allow aquifers a chance to recover.

"There is not enough drinkable water for the Indian people. Without water security there is nothing," said Singh, who last year won the Stockholm Water Prize for his work to boost supplies in villages in the desert state of Rajasthan.

In Gangnauli, authorities have painted a red stripe on communal handpumps to warn residents after testing found groundwater was contaminated.

India's environment court, the National Green Tribunal, ordered handpumps in the district be sealed, and raised concerns about the health of residents drinking from them.

Many instead draw water from borewells installed in their backyards. But they fear this groundwater is also contaminated by polluted rivers which have seeped into the water table.

"There is poison in the water," said farmer Dhramveer Singh, 50, who blames his son's severe bone deformities on the water.

District magistrate Hriday Shankar Tiwari said the state government has acted to supply villagers with alternate supplies -- including via water tanks and pipelines whose supplies are sourced from clean water deeper underground.

"We have also been sensitising villagers about the hazards of consuming contaminated water," Tiwari told AFP, although he casts doubt on concerns residents are falling ill.

Village head Dharmendra Rathi said up to half of its 5,000 residents now received piped water, a situation he said was "way better than what it used to be".

But he said the pollution remained a problem, with factory waste from neighbouring districts still discharged into the rivers.

- AFP/ec

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NEA to introduce new bands and descriptors for 1-hour PM2.5 readings

Linette Lim Channel NewsAsia 27 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: Haze season is around the corner and the likely question on everyone's lips is: "Is it safe for me to go out now?"

To help Singaporeans answer that question, the National Environment Agency (NEA) is introducing bands and descriptors for the one-hour concentration readings for fine particulate matter (PM2.5), which it has been publishing hourly since 2014.

This was announced by Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli on Monday (Jun 27), on the sidelines of a visit to the Meteorological Service Singapore’s (MSS) HQ at Changi Airport Terminal 2.

According to Mr Masagos, the new bands and descriptors will help the public better interpret the one-hour PM2.5 concentration readings and plan their activities.

During last year’s haze season, some Singaporeans turned to unofficial sources such as third-party apps and websites that purportedly gave one-hour readings of air quality. Several said NEA’s official three-hour and 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings did not always square with what they observed outdoors in terms of haze visibility and smell. One example is volunteer group the People’s Movement to Stop Haze, which has been publishing one-hour PSI readings for five regions across the island since 2015.

For years, NEA resisted calls to publish one-hour PSI readings, stating that the practice of “converting raw pollutant concentration data into one-hour PSI readings is not supported by health studies”.

From Monday, it hopes the public will rely more on its official one-hour PM2.5 concentration readings, which it said is a "near real-time indicator of the current air quality”.

The PSI was developed by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Its computation is based on the 24-hour average of PM10 concentration levels, among other pollutants. PM10 - the measure of particulate matter of 10 microns or smaller - is the dominant pollutant during haze episodes.

PM2.5 refers to particulate matter that is smaller than 2.5 microns, and is a subset of PM10.

Unlike the existing 24-hour PSI readings, which carry health advisories on what people should or should not do when readings are banded at certain levels, the four bands and descriptors for the one-hour PM2.5 readings - Normal (<55), Elevated (56-150), High (151-250) and Very High (>250) - will not carry corresponding health advisories. These will only be accompanied by a general guide on how haze particles affect health.

This is because existing studies “do not constitute a sufficient evidence-base” for the development of corresponding health advisories for the various bands, said NEA. The agency will phase out the three-hour PSI before the end of the year on the basis that it will no longer be relevant. It will also revise its microsite and its myENV app to reflect the new bands and descriptors.

- CNA/av


New PM2.5 bandings to help people plan activities better
NEO CHAI CHIN AND KENNETH CHENG Today Online 28 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE — One-hour readings of the fine particulate matter concentration (PM2.5) in the air now come with bands indicating if levels are normal, elevated, high or very high, to help the public to interpret one-hour PM2.5 better, and to plan their immediate activities.

Under the new banding, one-hour PM2.5 concentrations of 55 micrograms per cubic metre and below are “normal”; readings of 56 to 150 are “elevated”; readings of 151 to 250 are “high”; and anything above 250 is “very high”.

But the one-hour readings are not tied to health advisories, which apply only to 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) readings because studies on sub-daily PM2.5 exposure still do not provide a sufficient evidence base, said the National Environment Agency (NEA), which introduced the banding on Monday (June 27).

The 24-hour PSI forecast will also continue to be used for major decisions such as the closure of schools.

Instead, the one-hour PM2.5 readings now come with a general guide noting that each person’s reaction to pollutants may vary. Hence, the level of physical activity should be according to one’s health status.

Although the PSI includes other pollutants like sulphur dioxide and carbon monoxide, PM2.5 is the air pollutant of concern during haze episodes, because their small size mean they can lodge deeply in the lungs.

The highest one-hour PM2.5 recorded in Singapore last year was 471 on Oct 19, when the region was affected by forest and plantation fires raging in Indonesia.

Last year, Singapore’s one-hour PM2.5 readings fell within the “normal” band 88.9 per cent of the time during both haze and non-haze periods. During the haze period, readings were still mostly within the “normal” range (49.6 per cent), followed by the “elevated” (41.6 per cent), “high” (7 per cent), and “very high” (1.8 per cent) bands.

With the introduction of bands for one-hour PM2.5, the NEA will do away with three-hour PSI readings as they will “no longer be relevant”, by the end of the year.

Speaking to reporters about the new banding during a visit to the Meteorological Service Singapore headquarters on Monday, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said: “We want to position this more as an advisory band, rather than something which is medically impacting them.”

On how institutions, such as schools and military camps, should interpret the PM2.5 readings, Mr Masagos said they would still use the 24-hour PSI forecast, and whether they decide to continue with activities based on the one-hour PM2.5 readings would be left to their discretion.

The Ministry of Education said one-hour PM2.5 readings would be used as “an indicative measure to make the necessary adjustments” for more immediate activities. Activities for the next day would be planned using the NEA’s 24-hour PSI forecast and the corresponding MOH health advisory.

The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) said that apart from guidelines for the conduct of training in haze conditions, which use the 24-hour PSI, its commanders on the ground conduct a risk assessment before each outdoor or training activity, taking into account factors such as weather.

Commanders, Mindef said, could use the new PM2.5 bands as “one of the factors when making their risk assessments”.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) noted there is “insufficient evidence base” to develop workplace safety and health advisories for the one-hour PM2.5 readings. The readings, the MOM added, could also fluctuate over the course of a day.

Dr Madeleine Chew, a family physician at MW Medical Centre, said at the “elevated” band, patients with respiratory disorders, heart disease and lung cancer should avoid outdoor activities, while healthy adults should reduce their participation in such activities. The “high and “very high” bands should see only indoor activities, she said.

Killiney Family and Wellness Clinic’s Dr Clarence Yeo said the hourly readings would be “quite useful” as they provide more up-to-date information. But in advising patients, he would still use it “more as a guide (such as) whether you should go out and do a run.”

Meanwhile, a workplace safety and health coordinator in a construction firm, who wanted to be known only as Mr Khoo, said he was unlikely to refer to the bandings as they are only guidelines, adding the air quality here is generally good.

Associate Professor Matthias Roth, deputy head of the National University of Singapore’s geography department, noted that in cleaner cities, what would be considered “normal” here could be considered high elsewhere, such a city with less emissions from industries and vehicular traffic.

Also, readings in the “normal” range do not necessarily mean there are no health effects, he added.


Hourly PM2.5 haze readings now graded to indicate pollution level
NEA's enhanced PM2.5 readings will come with banding and descriptors.
Chen Jingwen AsiaOne 27 Jun 16;

The National Environment Agency is phasing out 3-hour PSI updates following the enhancement of its hourly PM2.5 readings with banding to reflect current levels of haze pollution.

Unsure of what PM2.5 readings in haze updates actually mean? Don't worry, now you would be better informed by the government's system monitoring harmful fine particles during a haze.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) has enhanced its hourly PM2.5 readings with four bands to indicate the current level of pollution by fine particles to accompany the figures, the agency said in a statement today.

This would serve as a guide for people who need to adjust their plan for an immediate activity, it said.

The four ranges, which come with band numbers and descriptors, are:

I Normal - 0 to 55 ug/m3 or micrograms per cubic metre
II Elevated - 56 to 150 ug/m3
III High - 151 to 250 ug/m3
IV Very High - 251 ug/m3 and above

With the enhancements, the updates now serve as a clearer indicator of the prevailing air quality and as a result, the 3-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) will be phased out, said the agency.

In Singapore, the main air pollutant during a haze situation is fine particulate matter (PM2.5).

NEA started publishing PM2.5 figures in 2014 as they are said to be a better indicator of air quality.

They are based on near real-time readings whereas the 24-hour PSI and 3-hour PSI that the agency has been providing are rolling averages of readings taken during longer periods.

But still, many people did not understand what the PM2.5 numbers meant and how they should respond to them when overwhelmed by haze created largely by forest and peatland fires in Indonesia. The readings just provided numbers, with no classification or explanation.

Now, the updates will also be accompanied by a general health guide which Government agencies have issued to the public during periods of haze. (See below).

There will be no health advisory based on the one-hour updates because the results of recent studies on shorter-period PM2.5 exposure could not provide conclusive evidence to justify any medical advisory, said NEA. Also, one-hour readings can be volatile, tending to fluctuate throughout the day.

So the agency does not advise specifically what people should do when the haze moves into the 'Elevated' band, for instance. But common sense would tell those at risk to start taking precautions and refer to the health guide if the level persists for hours or jumps to the 'High' band.

Use 24-hour PSI when making plans for the next day

With the enhancement of PM2.5 updates, the 3-hour PSI will no longer be relevant. It will be phased out by the end of the year.

The 24-hour PSI daily forecast will continue to play its more important role as it helps in the formulation of health advisories and enables government agencies to make major decisions, such as the cancellation of school classes or outdoor events.

This integrated index incorporates PM2.5 as well as other key pollutants of concern - sulphur dioxide (SO2), coarser particulate matter (PM10), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone (O3).

The public is advised to use the 24-hour forecast when making plans for the next day, like going to school or work.

Each reading will continue to be accompanied by its respective health advisory for the various classifications of people - healthy persons, elderly, children and pregnant women.

For instance, people from all age and health groups can continue with normal activities when the PSI is rated 'Good' or 'Moderate'. (See below for the full guide)

The changes in NEA's haze readings will be reflected on its Haze microsite (http://www.haze.gov.sg) and myENV app. The round-the-clock PSI Forecast will be featured prominently to encourage more people to use it.

The dreaded haze period is nearly here

The start of the dry season in Indonesia usually spells the start of hazy conditions in the region.

The period from June to October every year has seen unmanageable forest and peatland fires allegedly connected with palm oil, pulp and paper industries.

Last year's haze saw a bigger crisis as the fires raged on with intensity and length, exacerbated by the El Nino weather phenomenon.

Enveloping Indonesia and its neighbours like Singapore and Malaysia, the haze caused deaths, widespread illnesses, flights to be grounded and schools to be closed.

In Singapore, the one-hour PM2.5 reading hit an alarming high of 471 micrograms per cubic metre last October.

However, experts believe that any impending haze hitting Singapore this year might not be as severe as last year because of the subsiding El Nino phenomenon, which was believed to have ended recently. Quickly taking over is another weather system, La Nina, which has drenched the region with heavy rains in recent weeks.


Better haze, hotspot detection with new satellite
Chew Hui Yan Channel NewsAsia 27 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: The Meteorological Service Singapore (MSS) is making use of a Japanese satellite which allows for more frequent monitoring and improved detection of weather systems and hotspots or haze in the region, the agency announced on Monday (Jun 27).

The satellite, Japan Meteorological Agency's Next Generation Himawari-8 geostationary meteorological satellite, replaced the MTSAT-2 that ceased direct transmission in December. The Himawari-8 was operationalised in July 2015, and MSS has been making use of its imagery since then.

The Himawari-8 has a 10min frequency of updates - compared to hourly updates for the MTSAT-2, allowing for enhanced monitoring of haze and weather systems, said MSS. The Japanese satellite also has more than three times the spectral bands - 16 compared to five - to improve the range of detection, as well as higher spatial resolution, resulting in more detail in the satellite image.

MSS said that it primarily makes use of data from polar-orbitting satellites operated by the US' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and National Aeronautics and Space Administration to monitor hotspots and smoke haze in the region. These satellites normally make one day-time pass over the region each day.

NEW AEROSAL LIDAR ON JURONG ISLAND

To extend the observation network of real-time weather monitoring systems, the MSS has also installed an aerosol LIDAR – which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, a remote sensing method that uses light from a laser to measure ranges to Earth.

The detection system was installed on Jurong Island to measure the local distribution of particulate matter in the atmosphere, as well as a wind LIDAR.

This adds to the more than 60 automatic weather stations, a lightning detection system, weather radar and wind profiler in the network.

The aerosol LIDAR can measure the vertical extent of particulate matter to heights of about 12km, and provide an indication of upper level transboundary haze drifting into Singapore, MSS said. While it cannot differentiate particle size, it can also detect ash from volcanic eruptions in the region.

The wind LIDAR measures the vertical profile of wind speed and direction up to 12km above the ground level, and will complement MSS' existing wind profiler and enhance the real-time monitoring of upper-level winds, which affect the movement of weather systems and haze over Singapore.

"These new instruments can tell us not just the concentration of PM2.5 in the air but at different levels of the atmosphere and how they move according to wind conditions and atmospheric conditions," said Minister of Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli, who was briefed on the usage of the new technologies on Monday.

"We are still studying it but in the future I'm quite sure these can be used for even finer forecasts by the hour, making it more predictable for the public," he added.

- CNA/av


Rainier weather this year may help ease haze episodes: Masagos
Linette Lim Channel NewsAsia 27 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: More rain is expected around the last quarter of the year, and this means the forest fires that cause the annual transboundary haze are more likely to be put out, said Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli on Monday (Jun 27).

"Therefore we hope that with more rain, there will be less haze episodes that come to us," said Mr Masagos, speaking on the sidelines of a visit to the Meteorological Service Singapore’s (MSS) HQ at Changi Airport Terminal 2.

However, he added: "But we cannot be sure – this is the weather, it is most unpredictable, and there can therefore be dry spells. Dry spells take its toll over a longer period, and forests continue to be burned, particularly peat and forests, then we will particularly be affected by this.”

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), weather conditions this year are "expected to be less conducive for hotspot activities as compared to 2015".

Responding to queries from Channel NewsAsia, NEA explained that based on assessments of model outlooks from international climate centres, there is a possibility of La Nina developing in the third quarter of 2016.

"Rainfall is expected to be normal to above normal from June to September," it said.

"However, as there could still be extended periods of drier weather, escalation of hotspot activities can occur which may lead to transboundary haze, and Singapore could be affected if the winds blow the haze towards Singapore."

NEA added that the region is currently seeing neutral conditions - neither El Nino nor La Nina - after a strong El Nino event which resulted in prolonged periods of dry weather in the second half of the year.

- CNA/av


Haze less likely as more rain seen in Q4, says Masagos
KENNETH CHENG Today Online 28 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE — With more rain forecast for the latter part of 2016, the risk of haze blanketing the Republic could be lower this year, as forest fires will likely be put out faster, Environment and Water Resources Minister Masagos Zulkifli said on Monday (June 27).

Speaking to reporters during a visit to the Meteorological Service Singapore’s (MSS) headquarters at Changi Airport Terminal 2, Mr Masagos said more rain was predicted towards the last quarter of the year. “Therefore, we hope that with more rain, there will be less haze episodes that come to us,” Mr Masagos said.

But he stressed that the Government could not be sure of this, given the unpredictable nature of the weather. There is the possibility of dry spells taking its toll over extended periods, and forests, particularly peatland, being set on fire. This may result in the Republic being besieged by haze.

Responding to TODAY’s queries, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said the strong El Nino event that triggered a protracted dry spell in the second half of last year has ended. The El Nino phenomenon is the warm phase of a temperature cycle in the tropical central and eastern Pacific Ocean.

While neutral conditions are prevailing over the region now, the NEA said the La Nina, which causes higher-than-normal rainfall, could develop in the third quarter of the year, based on model outlooks from international climate centres.

And with rainfall expected to be “normal to above normal” from June to September, weather conditions are forecast to be less conducive to hot spot activities than they were last year.

“However, as there could still be extended periods of drier weather, escalation of hot spot activities can occur, which may lead to transboundary haze, and Singapore could be affected if the winds blow the haze towards Singapore,” the NEA said.

Earlier in the day, Mr Masagos was briefed on the MSS’ new capabilities and technologies that support the national weather forecaster’s monitoring of the weather and haze.

Among them is imagery from the Himawari-8 geostationary meteorological satellite. The satellite provides more frequent updates, higher spatial resolution and more spectral bands than its predecessor, the MTSAT-2 satellite.

The Himawari-8, operated by the Japan Meteorological Agency, provides updates every 10 minutes, compared with hourly updates by the MTSAT-2, which stopped direct transmission last December. Its higher spatial resolution also means improved visible bands of between 0.5km and 1km compared with the MTSAT-2’s 1km, which means sharper details in satellite images.

In May, the MSS also installed an aerosol Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) system on Jurong Island and a wind Lidar system in the south of Singapore.

Depending on atmospheric conditions, the aerosol Lidar can, among other things, measure the vertical extent of particulate matter to heights of about 12km. It can also offer an indication of upper-level transboundary haze wafting into the Republic.

The wind Lidar, which can measure the vertical profile of wind speed and direction up to about 12km above ground level, will complement the MSS’ existing wind profiler. This will improve the real-time tracking of upper-level winds, which affect the movement of weather systems and haze over Singapore.

The authorities are still studying the new capabilities, Mr Masagos said. “But for the future, I’m quite sure these can be used to give even finer forecasts for the hour … (which will be) more useful and predictable for the public.” ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY NEO CHAI CHIN

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Corporate alliance aims to deliver ‘haze-free’ products

REGINA MARIE LEE Today Online 27 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE — In a bid to tackle transboundary haze at its source, several companies, including Unilever and Danone, have joined forces to advocate the use of certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO).

The Singapore Alliance for Sustainable Palm Oil, launched on Monday (June 27), is hoping other companies will join in to make the use of CSPO the norm, through raising awareness of the link between haze and unsustainable palm oil, and sharing information on how to source sustainably.

For example, IKEA, which already sources CSPO for all home furnishing products such as candles and for in-house food production, wants to get its 40 suppliers in Singapore for food-related products to switch to using CSPO by the end of the year. It will help by absorbing half the cost of the switch, and encouraging suppliers to be more informed, such as by joining the alliance.

CSPO comes from plantations that minimise the use of slash-and-burn practices, which contribute to regional haze. It is certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, a non-profit that works with third parties to audit plantations for sustainable oil production, inspecting facilities every year, said chief executive Darrel Webber. The alliance was founded after the public outcry over the prolonged haze pollution last year, by Unilever, Ayam Brand, Danone, IKEA and Wildlife Reserves Singapore, led by the World Wildlife Fund Singapore.

Danone and Ayam Brand use only CSPO. Unilever, which uses about 3 per cent of the world palm oil production, aims to use only physically certified sustainable palm oil by 2019.

According to IKEA, CSPO costs six per cent more than the oil it previously used. Mr Christian Uhlig, head of food at IKEA for Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand said suppliers become open to making the change when they learn about the link between the haze and unsustainable palm oil.

Ayam Brand group marketing director Herve Simon said his firm hopes to encourage companies that may not be major consumers of palm oil to join the alliance.

The company was at first hesitant to make the shift to CSPO, because it felt it used a negligible amount of palm oil in its production. But it later found out that 90 per cent of palm oil orders are small orders. “Everybody has to do his part,” said Mr Simon.

The alliance hopes to have eight to 10 members by the end of the year.


Companies form alliance to tackle haze, deforestation
Chan Luo Er, Channel NewsAsia 27 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: Ahead of the haze season, five companies have banded together to encourage more companies to switch to sustainably produced palm oil.

Named the Singapore Alliance on Sustainable Palm Oil, the group said in a panel discussion on Monday (Jun 27) that it hopes their efforts will reduce the slash-and-burn practices used in the production of palm oil, which results in haze pollution.

Certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO) is palm oil grown on a plantation that does not cause harm to the environment or society. Issued by non-profit organisation Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, the certification assures consumers, mostly through labels on products, that the standard of production is sustainable.

The five companies in the alliance, Unilever, Ayam Brand, Danone, IKEA, and Wildlife Reserves Singapore, have already been certified or are in the process of doing so.

The alliance is supported by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore, which will be actively recruiting more companies to join them in this effort.

“The Alliance sends a clear signal to consumers about which companies are committed to sustainability and which are not,” said CEO of World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) Singapore Elaine Tan. “This is a timely opportunity for NGOs and businesses to work together towards transforming the palm oil industry.”

In 2015, Singapore was most affected by one of the worst haze situations in recent years, with prolonged hazy conditions of over a month and a half, and schools closed due to air quality for the first time.

That was also the year WWF Singapore launched the successful 'We Breathe What We Buy' campaign, which reached more than 20 million people globally. The organisation said that it believes that consumer pressure can persuade companies to change their practices and use sustainably produced palm oil.

"Together with its partners and peers in the industry, Unilever is committed to achieving zero deforestation with a long-term goal to source 100 per cent of our palm oil sustainably,” said Unilever Chief Procurement Officer Dhaval Buch. “Companies are encouraged to make a commitment and enable change by being a part of this National Alliance.”

Unilever is one of the largest consumers of palm oil in the world. The organisation consumes close to 1.5 million tonnes of palm oil a year, or 3 per cent of all palm oil produced in the world.

- CNA/ww


Top firms in Singapore join new alliance to meet consumer demand for haze-free products
WWF 27 Jun 16;

Singapore, 27 June 2016 – Today marks the formation of a new Singapore-based alliance between players in the palm oil industry, retailers and manufacturers, to tackle deforestation, haze pollution and ultimately deliver haze­-free products to consumers.

The primary goal of the Singapore Alliance on Sustainable Palm Oil announced today, is to increase the uptake of certified sustainable palm oil by manufacturers and retailers and offer consumers an environmentally-conscious option for the many products which contain palm oil.

The formation of the Singapore Alliance on Sustainable Palm Oil was prompted by the public outcry over 2015’s prolonged haze pollution that caused suffering in communities and natural areas throughout Southeast Asia. Through the “We Breathe What We Buy” campaign, which reached over 20 million people globally, WWF-­Singapore was able to raise awareness of the link between the slash and burn practices used in the production of palm oil and haze pollution, and enlist public support for a switch to sustainable palm oil.

“The alliance sends a clear signal to consumers about which companies are committed to sustainability and which are not”, said Elaine Tan, CEO, WWF­-Singapore. “This is a timely opportunity for NGOs and businesses to work together towards transforming the palm oil industry.”

The founding members of the alliance believe that companies can make an impact in ending transboundary haze in Southeast Asia and are calling for like­-minded organisations to join them. By consciously choosing how their products are produced and marketed, manufacturers and retailers are empowering consumers with knowledge and values to change their purchasing habits and echo this belief.

The current founding members of the Singapore Alliance on Sustainable Palm Oil include consumer goods giant Unilever, established Singapore manufacturer Ayam Brand, food and beverage specialist Danone, home furnishing retailer IKEA and Wildlife Reserves Singapore.

Dhaval Buch, Chief Procurement officer for Unilever says, “Together with its partners and peers in the industry, Unilever is committed to achieving zero deforestation with a long-­term goal to source 100 per cent of our palm oil sustainably. Unilever is proud to be part of this alliance to advocate the production, trade and usage of sustainable palm oil. Companies are encouraged to make a commitment and enable change by being a part of this national alliance.”

By joining the alliance, companies with a shared commitment can help to make the use of sustainable palm oil a norm.

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Man caught with 22 star tortoises at Woodlands Checkpoint

Channel NewsAsia 27 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: A total of 22 star tortoises were found in the boot of a car at the Woodlands Checkpoint on Jun 23 and have since been handed over to the Agri-Food Veterinary Authority (AVA), the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority and AVA said in a joint statement on Monday (Jun 27).

The driver, a 49-year-old Singaporean man, has also been handed over to the AVA and is now assisting with investigations. Checkpoint officers had found the tortoises kept in a bag placed among other bags of groceries in the car boot.

The star tortoises are now under the care of the Wildlife Reserves Singapore, they added.

Star tortoises are protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), for which Singapore is a signatory.

Under the Endangered Species (Import and Export) Act, the import and export/re-export of star tortoises require CITES permits. Offenders in violation of this Act can be fined up to S$50,000 (not to exceed an aggregate of S$500,000) per animal, and/or face a jail term of up to two years.

- CNA/av

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Why is Singapore's household recycling rate stagnant?

Linette Lim Channel NewsAsia 27 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE: For two years, Hougang resident Padmarani Srivatsan has been collecting raw food scraps - like vegetable and fruit peel - that she throws out from her kitchen, turning it into soil nutrients for her plants.

“It’s black gold,” she said, picking up a handful from her composting bucket and taking a sniff. “And it doesn’t smell at all. It smells… wholesome.”

Besides composting raw food waste, the 52-year-old kindergarten teacher has been recycling other waste that her household generates, including plastics, glass bottles, paper and tin cans. Doing all this requires a conscientious effort, said Mrs Srivatsan, acknowledging that it may be a challenge for many Singaporeans, who generate some of the most waste globally on a per capita basis, to follow her example.

A 2012 World Bank report put the amount of Singapore’s per capita municipal waste generated at 1.49kg a day - on par with Hong Kong, but higher than South Korea. At the same time, the household recycling rate remained at around 20 per cent between 2005 and 2015 - and this is "quite low", despite more than 15 years of the National Recycling Programme (NRP), according to Mr Eugene Tay, director of sustainability consulting company Green Future Solutions.

When asked for an update on the NRP in Parliament this April, Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Amy Khor pledged that the Government will continue its efforts on public education, as "30 to 50 per cent of materials deposited into the recycling bins are not suitable for recycling".

According to the National Environment Agency (NEA), Singapore’s domestic recycling rate was 19 per cent in 2015, and the target is to bring this to 30 per cent by 2030. This is below other developed economies like the United Kingdom and Taiwan, where the household recycling rates in 2013 were 44.2 per cent and 42 per cent, respectively.

While the rate is comparatively low, it is tricky to benchmark Singapore - a city-state - against other countries for two reasons. Firstly, different countries have different methodologies. Secondly, countries with significant agricultural sectors could have an outsized contribution to the domestic recycling rate through composting and anaerobic digestion. But the NEA does acknowledge multiple challenges to raising the domestic recycling rate.

REFUSE CHUTES: THE CURSE OF CONVENIENCE

A key issue is the ubiquity of in-home refuse chutes, which public high-rise apartment blocks built before the late 1980s are fitted with. The convenience of the refuse chute poses a challenge to studies that attempts to find ways to increase the domestic recycling rate, said the NEA.

Take a usage-based pricing scheme for example, where households pay according to the amount of waste they throw away and enjoy savings when they reduce their waste. According to the NEA, “a key challenge in its implementation” would be the use of refuse chutes in high-rise buildings, where more than 90 per cent of the population reside.

Although HDB blocks built after 1989 are installed with a centralised refuse chute on each floor, and blocks built after 2014 will have an additional centralised recycling chute, it will take decades before in-home refuse chutes are entirely phased out and for the majority of HDB dwellers to have access to recycling chutes.

In the meantime, environmental experts say more public engagement is needed to get people to segregate recyclables from their waste, and to put them in the blue recycling bins allotted to each public housing block. But even if residents put in the effort, the use of the blue recycling bins comes with its own set of problems.

BLUE RECYCLING BINS: A SOURCE OF CONFUSION?

A challenge to boosting the domestic recycling rate has to do with the fact that some people are not sure of how and what to recycle, and there is confusion over where recyclables end up, said Mr Tay of Green Future Solutions, adding that some think that the recyclables end up in the incineration plants.

A straw poll among five households who recycle shows that best practices are unclear even among those who make use of the blue bins.

“Empty paper cups from McDonald's - can these be recycled or are they considered contaminated? I’m confused over what can and cannot be recycled,” said Ms Chan Yen Sen, 38, who has been recycling for the last eight years.

The consultant and part-time lecturer, who is a resident of Bukit Batok, added: “Empty soft-drink plastic bottles - do they need to be washed? If I don’t wash them, they may attract pests. If I do wash them, it’s a waste of water – and that’s counterproductive to being eco-conscious.”

Ms Angie Woo, a home-maker from Newton who has been recycling for more than a decade, also noted that the recycling guidelines can be clearer.

“When I travel and stay at AirBnb apartments in Australia or France, I notice the hosts would have very detailed and easy-to-follow guides on how to recycle - what to do, what not to do. We’re lacking this in Singapore,” said Ms Woo, who is in her early fifties.

Confusion over the use of the recycling bins has led to their misuse as a general waste bin. According to the NEA, materials that have been deposited into the recycling bins include non-recyclables, like “pillows, soft toys and footwear” and unfinished food and drinks which contaminate the rest of the recyclables.

RECYCLING LAWS? NOT YET

While household recycling rates remain comparatively low, environmental experts say that legislation and punitive measures to change that trend may not be necessary.

“Before we consider punitive measures, there is still room for improving our current education and engagement efforts. More effective and targeted outreach and communications are needed… to change mindsets and behaviours,” said Mr Tay, who also runs Zero Waste SG, an NGO which aims to increase waste minimisation and recycling in Singapore.

Ms Rachel See, an environmental engineer with the Singapore Environment Council (SEC) agreed, adding that the effectiveness of legislation depends on ensuring that there are adequate resources in place.

“Instilling knowledge and good habits such as recycling and proper waste segregation are essential, and a multi-pronged approach should be adopted to reinforce the importance of recycling in sustaining a healthy environment,” she said, adding that community involvement is key to making recycling a social norm.

Beyond outreach efforts that appeal to people’s green impulses, the Government has also sought to change mindsets by appealing to people’s pragmatism.

For example, the NEA has worked with public waste collectors to implement 90 "Cash for Trash" collection points, where residents can exchange recyclables for cash. It also jointly organises a "Green Homes" programme with the SEC and the North West Community Development Council to hand out awards to households that recycle and use energy-efficient electrical appliances.

Bukit Panjang resident Rowena Artiaga says her household spends below the national average on utilities. They are also award winners of Green Homes @ North West, an initiative by NEA, SEC and North West CDC. (Photo: Linette Lim)
Green Home award recipient Mrs Rowena Artiaga, who lives in a four-room HDB flat in Segar, said the utility bill for her family of five comes up to just below S$100 a month. In comparison, data from Singapore Power show the average utility bill for a four-room HDB flat is around S$144.

Besides recycling the usual materials - paper, plastic, metal, and glass - Mrs Artiago also makes the effort to reuse water. Water used to wash fruits and vegetables for example, can be collected and used to water plants. The family also rarely uses air-conditioning.

“It’s proof that it’s not just for the environment. When you lead an eco-conscious lifestyle, it’s also cost saving,” said the 51-year-old home-maker.

- CNA/ll

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