Trees for Birds: 1. Ficus benjamina (Waringin, Weeping Fig)
from Bird Ecology Study Group
Friday, 28 Feb 2014, 4.00pm @ CR1: Luke Gibson on “Deforestation and tropical biodiversity: What is lost, and what survives?” from The Biodiversity crew @ NUS
Channel NewsAsia 21 Feb 14;
SINGAPORE: The Agri-food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) will try to balance the welfare of monkeys with the feedback it receives about the nuisance they cause, said Minister of State for National Development Maliki Osman in Parliament on Friday.
Dr Maliki said the AVA takes the matter seriously.
He explained: "We want to strike a balance between the nuisance that's created by monkeys and the way we treat (them), in relation to how we manage the coexistence of the monkeys and human beings.
"We hope that they can continue living in the nature reserves, but they do come out of that space and intrude on the space of our residents, and we're quite concerned about that."
The AVA received more than 1,800 complaints from the public about monkeys last year.
Dr Maliki said the AVA will work with animal welfare groups to help manage some of the challenges involved.
At the same time, he added residents must learn how to manage the nuisance created by monkeys.
Referring to media reports about a contractor who used rubbish bins to trap monkeys, Dr Maliki said the AVA is investigating the incident, but added that the authority allows such methods.
He said rubbish bins are no different from other equipment such as cages, and could be more effective in capturing monkeys which have grown wary of cages.
He said all contractors engaged by the AVA must comply with its guidelines on the capture, handling and transportation of the monkeys.
"They can only carry out control operations at designated areas, and use methods and equipment approved by AVA.
"During these operations, they must be on-site to monitor the trap and to remove the trapped monkeys as soon as possible."
Dr Maliki said the AVA also conducts random checks on its contractors to ensure that they comply with the guidelines.
- CNA/fa
[wildsingapore update: These were the written question submitted by NMP Faizah Jamal:
To ask the Minister for National Development (a) whether AVA and its contractors follow a set of protocols with regard to monkey-trapping activities; (b) if so, what are these protocols and approved methods and how are they enforced; and (c) whether trappers who are recently found using rubbish bins as traps at nature reserve borders are trappers given permits by AVA.
Channel NewsAsia did not carry a video clip of this exchange in Parliament
The official transcript will be available on Parliamentary Reports Hansard 7 working days after the event. This post will be updated with the official transcript when it is available.]
Government’s Monkey-trapping Protocols
from Singapore Parliament Reports (HANSARD)
2 Ms Faizah Jamal asked the Minister for National Development (a) whether AVA and its contractors follow a set of protocols with regard to monkey-trapping activities; (b) if so, what are these protocols and approved methods and how are they enforced; and (c) whether trappers who are recently found using rubbish bins as traps at nature reserve borders are trappers given permits by AVA.
The Minister of State for National Development (Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman) (for the Minister of National Development): Mdm Speaker, all contractors engaged by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) must comply with AVA’s guidelines on the capture, handling and transportation of the monkeys. They can only carry out control operations at designated areas, and use methods and equipment approved by AVA. During these operations, they must be on-site to monitor the trap and to remove the trapped monkeys as soon as possible. AVA also conducts random checks on its contractors to ensure their compliance to the guidelines.
AVA is investigating the case involving its contractor who used rubbish bins as monkey traps, as reported in the media. AVA allows the use of rubbish bins as traps as they do not cause any harm to the monkeys during the capture. The bins are no different from other equipment such as cages, and could be more effective in capturing monkeys which have grown wary of cages.
Ms Faizah Jamal (Nominated Member): Mdm Speaker, I have three supplementary questions. Given the fact that the recent incident actually happened near Upper Pierce Reservoir, which is a nature reserve, whereas the actual reason for culling is meant for residential areas, does it mean then that the permit lacks clarity as to what they can and cannot do? Perhaps they are to be given proper oral instructions from AVA?
If I could get some clarification as to how much does AVA each trapper and if there is any indication that I can get on how many monkeys have been culled over the last year. Finally, what is the long-term strategy that AVA is planning instead of culling? Particularly in this case, where if you think about it, rubbish bins are actually a lot more cruel than cages, which at least have some kind of ventilation, and which provides some safety for the animal as well as for the public at large who happened to be passing by these public areas.
Dr Mohamad Maliki Bin Osman: Madam, I think there were several questions there. First, on the safety of the animals and the bins, the bin is one of the approved methods and that is not the only one that has used in Singapore; we use cages. As I have said, monkeys do get familiar and cages are a lot more apparent to them when you put the baits around the cage. The bin traps are also used by the authorities in Hong Kong and they have proven to be affective.
AVA gives clear guidelines to its contractors and there are guidelines for the capture, the handling and transportation of the animals. We try to minimise the discomfort to the animals when the animals are captured. The contactors are expected to be onsite. The moment they set up the traps, the way the bin trays work, is that the spring is at the bottom of the bin. We put baits there and when the animal goes in, and they press on the string, the cover is closed. The contractors are nearby. They are supposed to immediately bring the monkeys to the AVA for inspection.
We are very mindful of the welfare and the well being of the animals. At the same time, on the question on where they site the traps, the Member is right. We do not send them to the nature reserves. Some of these monkeys are very fast. The contractors are giving the site where the feedback was given, and oftentimes, this is near the residential areas. They will not go into the nature reserves but they set up traps where there are feedback of the sighting of monkeys and the nuisance that has been created by the monkeys.
To the question of how many has been captured by AVA, I think in the region of about 500 has been captured. In 2013 alone, AVA received about 1,800 feedback from the public related to monkeys. I do not think that is a small number. On average, that is about five feedback a day. I think we take it quite seriously.
We want to strike a balance between the nuisance that’s created by monkeys and the way we treat the monkeys in relation to how do we manage the co-existence of the monkeys and human beings. We hope that they continue to be in the nature reserves and continue to be there. The more they come out of that space and intrude on the space of our residents - and our residents are giving us those feedback – we get concerned about that.
In the longer term, we have to try to work with animal welfare groups to ask for their cooperation also to help us mange some of these challenges. Our residents need to also understand how to manage the monkey nuisance, but really, it is very tough. We live in an urban environment. Many of our youngsters grow up in an urban setting, not quite used to such intrusions, if I may call it.
The Member also asked about the long-term plans of AVA. AVA looks at it on both perspective: looking at the welfare and well being of the animals, at the same time, understanding the concerns and responding to the feedback that I have received by the residents when it comes to the monkey nuisance.
Channel NewsAsia 21 Feb 14;
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) take a serious view of any oil spill in Singapore waters.
Under the Prevention of the Pollution of the Sea Act (PPSA), MPA will take the necessary enforcement measures to bring the responsible parties to task if investigations reveal that an oil spillage resulted from a culpable act or an omission.
Depending on the circumstances of a case, the responsible party may be prosecuted.
Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim said this in Parliament on Friday.
He was responding to Nominated Member of Parliament Faizah Jamal, who wanted to know the steps that the authorities are taking against those responsible for oil spills in Singapore waters.
Associate Professor Faishal also said that MOT and MPA have worked with various stakeholders to take swift action in cleaning up the oil spill caused by the three vessel collisions in late January and early February this year.
MPA is conducting thorough investigations to determine the circumstances leading to the collisions and the subsequent oil spills, and will take appropriate actions against the responsible parties.
Findings of the investigations and the lessons learnt will be disseminated to the shipping community to prevent such incidents from recurring.
In the interim, measures are being taken to reinforce safety in Singapore waters, including briefings to the shipping community.
The authorities are also working with a few countries and organisations to develop a safe passage guide for mariners navigating the Straits of Malacca and Singapore.
Dr Faishal said Singapore reports every incident in its waters to the International Maritime Organisation.
It also works closely with other countries and organisations that promote marine life and the environment.
- CNA/xq
The clip uploaded under the heading "Measures by coffeeshop, supermarket operators to minimise noise in HDB estates"
Channel NewsAsia 22 Feb 14;
[wilsingapore update -- These were the written question submitted by NMP Faizah Jamal:
To ask the Minister for Transport (a) what steps does MPA take to bring parties responsible for oil spills in our waters to task; and (b) whether reports of the actions taken against such parties may be open for public scrutiny.
[wildsingapore update -- The following is our transcript of the above video clip. The official transcript will be available on Parliamentary Reports Hansard 7 working days after the event.
4:40 Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: The Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) take a serious view of any oil spill in Singapore waters. Under the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act (PPSA), MPA will take the necessary enforcement measures to bring the responsible parties to task. If investigations reveal that an oil spillage resulted from a culpable act or an omission under the ACT, depending on the circumstances of each case the responsible parties may be prosecuted. Such offences carry a fine of up to $1 million, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years, or both.
More recently MPA and MOT have worked together with various stakeholders to take swift action in cleaning up the oil spillage caused by three vessels collisions on 29 Jan, 30 Jan and 10 Feb 2014. MPA is conducting thorough investigations to determine the circumstances leading to the collision and subsequent oil spillages, and will take appropriate action against the responsible party. Findings of the investigations and lessons learnt will be disseminated to the shipping community so that we can prevent such incidents from re-occurring.
6:08 Nominated Member of Parliament Ms Faizah Jamal: I have three supplementary questions. Thank you for saying that the report will be given to the shipping community. What about it being made public as well so that there will be better cooperation between say MPA as well as the volunteers, nature activists who have been down on the ground, looking at what's happening.
And secondly does MPA have rapid environment monitoring response team to conduct EIAs on the marine habitat. Because the press releases seem to show that whilst the ships have been contained and there seems to be no health impact to the public, there is no response or no indication on what it does to the marine and coastal environment.
And lastly, the fact that 3 collisions happened in a span of 2 weeks does it mean that our waterways are stretched beyond its sustainable capacity. And would MPA consider using other methods beyond dispersants because as I understand it, studies show that this method where oil and dispersants are mixed together is actually 52 times more toxic when combined. So is MPA doing any other studies to overcome this kind of problems.
07:20 Parliamentary Secretary for Transport Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: I'd like to thank the Member for the three questions. Firstly I'd like to share with Member that every incident we report to the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), so it important for Members to keep track of developments in this area.
Secondly, we work very closely, not only with IMO, within IMO we have many other organisations, countries that also promote marine life, looking at the environment. So I want to assure Member that we will certainly take that into account. We want to not only keep our waters safe, but we want to keep our water clean as well. So it is most important to keep it safe so that there won't be any incidents that will result or affect either marine life and so forth. In doing so, I'd like to assure Member that we have the POCC whereby it is a control centre where we look at how we are able to help and advance the ships and vessels that navigate along our area. I must say that all the instances that we have the POCC have been able to provide advice to the vessels involved. Even the three collisions that we have last month and early this month, we were able to provide advanced info to the vessels.
And I'd like to assure that while investigations are going on, we have taken interim measures. First being that we also conducted briefings to the shipping community. Why? Is to enforce the importance of safety of navigation in the Singapore waters. In fact we just had one on the 13th of February. We are also proclamating the odd marine and shipping circulars to the shipping and harbour craft communities, emphasising the importance of navigational safety and maintaining vigilance while navigating. And the POCC also broadcasts messages to these vessels at any point in time when necessary to remind them of safety aspects while they are navigating. At the same time, we are working with a few organisations and countries to develop a safe passage guide for all mariners navigating in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. And this will make it safer and will keep on reminding the message that safety is key. As soon as it's ready, we will share with the shipping community.
Actions against Parties Responsible for Oil Spills
from the Singapore Parliament Report (HANSARD)
Ms Faizah Jamal asked the Minister for Transport (a) what steps does MPA take to bring parties responsible for oil spills in our waters to task; and (b) whether reports of the actions taken against such parties may be open for public scrutiny.
The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Transport (Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim) (for the Minister for Transport): Mdm Speaker, the Ministry of Transport (MOT) and the Maritime Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) take a serious view of any oil spills in Singapore waters. Under the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea Act (EPSA), MPA will take the necessary enforcement measures to bring the responsible parties to task if investigations require that an oil spillage resulted from a culpable act or an omission under the Act. Depending on the circumstances of each case, the responsible parties may be prosecuted. Such offences carry a fine of up to $1 million, imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years, or both.
Most recently, MOT and MPA have worked with various stakeholders to take swift action in cleaning up the oil spillages caused by the collisions of three vessels on 29 January 2014, 30 January and 10 February 2014. MPA is conducting thorough investigations to determine the circumstances leading to the collision and the subsequent oil spillages, and will take appropriate actions against the responsible parties.
In accordance with Singapore’s international maritime obligations, MPA submits its marine safety investigation reports to the International Maritime Organization (IMO). MPA also shares the findings of the investigations and the lessons learnt from such investigations with the shipping community. MPA will continue to reinforce the importance of preventive measures so as to minimise the risks of such incidents.
Ms Faizah Jamal: I have three supplementary questions. I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for saying that the reports will be given to the shipping community. What about them being made public as well so that there will be better cooperation between say MPA and the volunteer nature activists who have been down on the ground looking at what is happening? Secondly, does MPA have rapid environment monitoring response teams to conduct Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) on the marine habitats? The press releases seem to show that whilst the ships have been contained and there seems to be no harm to the public, there is no response or no indication of what it does to the marine coastal environment. Lastly, the fact that three collisions happened in a span of about a couple of weeks: does it mean that our waterways are stretched beyond their sustainable capacity, and so would MPA consider using other methods beyond dispersants? As I understand it, a study showed that this method where oil and dispersants are mixed together is actually 52 times more toxic when combined. Is MPA doing any other studies to overcome this kind of problems?
Assoc Prof Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim: Madam, I thank the Member for the questions. Firstly, I would like to share with the Member that every incident is reported to the IMO, so members of the public can keep track of the developments through the IMO. Secondly, we work very closely not only with IMO, but with other organisations and countries that also promote marine life and looking at the environment. So I want to assure the Member that we certainly would take that into account.
We want to not only keep our waters safe, but also keep our waters clean. It is most important that we keep the waterways safe so that there will not be any incidents that will affect marine life.
I would like to assure the Member that we have the Port Operation Control Centre (POCC) which advises vessels on how they can safely navigate in our waters. For all the instances that we have, the POCC has been able to provide advice to the vessels involved. Even for the three recent collisions that we had last month and early this month, we were able to provide advance traffic information to the vessels.
I would like to assure the Member that while investigations are on-going, we have taken interim measures. First, we have conducted briefings to the shipping community to reinforce the importance of safety of navigation in Singapore waters. We had the first briefing on 13 February. We are also promulgating the Port Marine and Shipping Circulars to the shipping and hovercraft communities, emphasising the importance of navigational safety and maintaining vigilance while navigating. The POCC also broadcasts messages to these vessels at any point in time when necessary to remind them of safety aspects while navigating. At the same time, we are working with a few organisations and countries to develop a safe passage guide for all mariners navigating in the Straits of Malacca and Singapore. These efforts will make our waters safer for navigation and we will keep on bringing home the message that safety is key. As soon as our investigation findings are ready, we will share it with the shipping community.
Mr Speaker: Order. I propose to take the break now. I suspend the Sitting and will take the Chair at 3.30 pm.
Sumita d/o Sreedharan Today Online 22 Feb 14;
SINGAPORE — Vehicle owners will be given further incentives to go green, after Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam announced tweaks to two schemes rolled out last year.
The Early Turnover Scheme, an incentive scheme aimed at encouraging fleet owners to replace old, smoky diesel vehicles with “cleaner” models, will see an enhancement to the bonus Certificate of Entitlement (COE) period, to further incentivise owners to replace their vehicles early.
Under the scheme, vehicle owners can transfer the unused period of COE from their existing vehicle to the replacement one. They will get a bonus COE period for their replacement vehicle. This is derived from a proportion of what is left of their existing vehicle’s 20-year lifespan when it is de-registered.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan will announce the details in next month’s Committee of Supply debate.
The Carbon Emissions-based Vehicle Scheme (CEVS), which offers rebates or taxes to owners based on vehicle emissions, will be extended for six months until June 2015, with a view towards continuing the scheme thereafter. Mr Tharman said he was “encouraged” by the results of this scheme.
More than 50 per cent of the new cars registered last year received rebates, an improvement from 2012, where only about 40 per cent would have been eligible for rebates, he said.
“As the CEVS was introduced last year amidst other changes to the COE system and the introduction of tiered ARF (Additional Registration Fee), we should observe the full impact of CEVS before making refinements. Hence, I will extend CEVS by six months until June 2015, with a view towards continuing the scheme thereafter,” Mr Tharman said.
Sumita Sreedharan
New Straits Times 22 Feb 14;
KUALA LUMPUR: The punishing heat that is sending the mercury soaring is threatening another set of problems for Malaysians.
The Fire and Rescue Department is bracing for "more critical" peat and bush fires in the days ahead, as more areas dry up.
Their hope for a reprieve looked bleak as the Malaysian Meteorological Department (MMD) said yesterday the dry spell was expected to persist until next month.
Its director-general Datuk Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim said areas marked as "extreme" (areas with very high fire intensity in grass) had been recording an "unusually drastic increase" in fires since the end of last month, with an average of 300 cases daily.
The department had, since Jan 29, recorded 6,996 cases of fires. Currently, there are 11 peat land fires burning, with firefighters working round the clock to put them out.
"Peat land takes a longer time to dry, so if there's no change in the weather pattern in the next seven to 14 days, we could be seeing more fires here. This will pose a serious problem as peat fires can't be put out easily. This will, in turn, cause the haze situation to worsen."
He said his 14,000-strong men in the field were on standby in case of a fire break out at peatland areas in Batu Arang and Johan Setia (Selangor), Dungun, Kemaman (Terengganu), and Pekan (Pahang) as well as areas surrounding Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang.
Johor recorded the highest number of peat fires with 69 cases, followed by Selangor (63) Malacca (40) Kedah (33), Perak (21), Perlis (13), Pahang (nine), Terengganu (nine), Sarawak (eight), Penang (four), and Sabah (three). There were seven cases each in Kuala Lumpur and Negri Sembilan.
MMD commercial and corporate services division director Dr Mohd Hisham Mohd Anip said the hot and dry season would persist until the middle of next month and this could result in more peat fires and a critical haze situation for the country.
He said Malaysia could also expect another round of haze in June, if open burning is conducted in Sumatera, as this would be when the wind direction would turn this way. Currently, the wind is blowing from the South China Sea.
Hisham said several places in Kedah and Malacca had not had rainfall for more than 40 days now because of the dry spell, a result of the northeast monsoon coming to an end.
"This happens periodically, but this counts as one of the worst. The worst dry season that the country experienced was in the 1980s, where some places did not have rain for more than 70 days."
He said more peat and bush fires were occurring in the northern region because of the high temperature and minimal moisture in the air.
He also attributed the haze in the Klang Valley to the large amount of combustion and emissions from various sources, including open burning and development.
This, he added, was compounded by the light and low levels of wind over most parts of Peninsular Malaysia.
"The wind in many areas has caused dry haze particles in the atmosphere to remain almost stationary," he said adding that satellite images on Thursday showed a sharp rise in hot spots in Sumatera.
On Tuesday, there were 46 such hot spots. The number increased to 80 on Wednesday and 111 on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Department of Environment said it was monitoring the situation in 338 "hot spots" nationwide.
It was also preparing for the impact of the fire at 1,977 hot spots in Sumatera and another 1,048 in Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Cloud seeding ops to begin
patrick lee, sarban singh, ivan loh, s. puspadevi, AND nicholas cheng The Star 22 Feb 14;
PETALING JAYA: Cloud seeding is expected to take place from next Tuesday over water catchment areas in four states hit hard by the dry weather.
Meteorological Department senior meteorologist Azhar Ishak confirmed that the cloud seeding exercise was likely to occur over catchment areas of dams in Selangor, Johor, Malacca and Negri Sembilan from Feb 25 or 26 onwards.
“It’s not certain, but there’s a good chance that cloud seeding will be done on those days,” he said, adding that the seeding was dependent on suitable weather conditions.
He said that up to this point, it had not rained in dam catchment areas but in isolated areas instead.
Azhar said the Royal Air Force would take charge of cloud seeding operations once weather conditions permitted, adding that the material used for the operation was safe and that ordinary salt would be used to seed the clouds.
In a related matter, water levels at dams across Selangor were reduced, with the Sungai Selangor Dam – the state’s largest – the hardest hit, at 51.39% capacity Friday morning.
The dam, which serves 60% of Selangor and Kuala Lumpur’s water needs, recorded 57.63% capacity on Feb 12. Other dams’ capacity yesterday were: Tasik Subang (96.26%), Sungai Tinggi (80.68%), Semenyih (89.06%), Langat (76.10%), Klang Gates (55.22%), Batu (91.69%).
Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (Syabas) said consumer water usage had not dropped despite warnings that resources were depleting.
Its corporate communications and public affairs assistant general manager Priscilla Alfred said there was barely enough treated water in Selangor’s pipes for everyone.
“We have a water reserve margin of 0.73% of the total supply,” she said.
Malaysian Water Association president Syed Mohamed Alhabshi said there needed to be a minimum reserve margin of 10%, calling it a “security of supply”.
“If you have that kind of margin, then if a treatment plant shuts down, other plants can help send water,” he said.
He said the construction of the Langat 2 treatment plant, along with raw water from Pahang, would help to increase the buffer up to 10%
Two water treatment plants have shut down due to high levels of ammonia in the Langat river, affecting 27,000 households.
A further 83,000 households are facing low water pressure and service disruptions due to high water use in the state.
Moderate API readings in central peninsula
The Star 22 Feb 14;
KUALA LUMPUR: Healthy air levels were recorded in the north and south of the peninsula, while the central region recorded moderate levels on the Air Pollutant Index (API).
The Department of Environment said yesterday that Port Klang recorded a reading of 65 while Petaling Jaya and Shah Alam recorded 52 and 57 respectively.
Air quality in the city centre and Federal Territories was healthy, with Cheras at 30 and Batu Muda and Putrajaya at 36.
API readings of 101 to 200 are considered unhealthy. Those between 201 and 300 are deemed very unhealthy. Readings above 301 are classified as hazardous.
Fruit growers hit hard by dry spell
The Star 22 Feb 14;
IPOH: The hot and dry spell is wreaking havoc on farms in the state, with many fruit growers lamenting that the lack of rain is stunting the growth of their produce.
Pomelo grower Chan Chuen Fatt, 51, said it had not rained in his area in Ulu Piah, near Ampang here, for about three weeks.
He said he had expected the hot weather since Chinese New Year and had been prepared to overcome the lack of rainwater to tend to his orchard.
“I have a water-pumping machine to water the trees. It was working fine but it broke down last week. Now I have to source for water from nearby ponds for my trees but the weather has already stunted the growth of some of the fruits,” he said.
Another farmer, Lau Poon, said he was worried about the fruits at his orchard in Bidor.
Lau, who grows guava and rose apples, said the fruits needed a lot of water for them to develop fully.
“We are just entering the fruiting phase and I am really worried that this batch will be affected,” he said.
The Malaysian Meteorological Department website has forecast a week of cloudy weather and rainfall in the state. It noted that there would be isolated rainfall during the afternoon beginning today.
Antara 21 Feb 14;
Pekanbaru, Riau (ANTARA News) - Four districts in the Riau Province have declared a state of emergency due to the haze arising from forest, plantation and peatland fires.
"A state of emergency has been declared in the districts of Pelalawan, Bengkalis, Dumai city, and Meranti islands," Saqlul Amri, the chairman of Riaus disaster mitigation office (BPBD) stated here on Friday.
Uncontrollable, massive fires have been raging due to the dry climate, northern winds, and lack of facilities for extinguishing the fires, he added.
The other factors taken into consideration while declaring the emergency status were the large number of people reportedly having health problems due to exposure to the haze and the high standard pollutant index.
The Riau administration has estimated that the fires have spread across a total area of six thousand hectares and affected the health of fifteen thousand people.
The NOAA 18 satellite detected 111 hotspots of forest, plantation, and peatland fires across Sumatra Island, including 88 in the Riau province, on Thursday evening.
In the Riau province, 23 hotspots were found in Bengkalis, 18 in Dumai City, 15 in Siak, 10 in Pelalawan, 8 in Rokan Hilir, one in Meranti Islands, five each in Indragiri Hulu and Indragiri Hilir, and 3 in Kampar.
In Dumai, the hotspots were detected in Bukit Kapur, West Dumai, and East Dumai subdistricts.
The Dumai city administration has declared an emergency status due to the haze arising from the forest fires since last week.
f012 (f001/INE)
EDITED BY INE
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Editor: Jafar M Sidik
Blue-eared Kingfisher casting pellet
from Bird Ecology Study Group
On the trail of a trailblazer!
from Stir-fried Science
Good Mix of Planning and Spontaneity is Needed
from AsiaIsGreen
Simon Tay and Chua Chin Wei Today Online 21 Feb 14;
The Singapore Government’s move this week to penalise companies that cause haze is timely, given that fires are currently burning in Riau and Kalimantan. But the proposed laws are more than a symbol or knee-jerk reaction.
The draft Transboundary Haze Pollution Bill, if passed, will allow criminal charges as well as civilian claims for damages to be brought before a court in Singapore — even if the fires occur elsewhere. The Republic has usually punished actions overseas only for severe crimes, such as corrupt acts or illegal sex with minors.
Applying Singapore law to the haze can be an important pillar in the effort to address the region’s recurring environmental problem.
Last year, the haze reached record highs in Singapore and parts of Malaysia. There was frustration that monitoring and enforcement against fires remain difficult in Indonesian provinces.
When regional ministers for the environment met, differences also emerged about releasing maps that could identify the culprits. Several retorted that a number of the implicated companies are headquartered in Singapore or Malaysia.
The Bill shows that the Singapore Government is willing to take action where it can.
WHAT THE BILL CAN AND CAN’T DO
Responsibility is placed on any entity not to cause or contribute to haze pollution in Singapore, whether directly or through companies that it manages. An individual company officer can also be held personally responsible.
Since proving what happens abroad is difficult, presumptions are introduced to allow reliance on satellite imagery, meteorological information and maps. Presumptions allow the court to assume that a fact is correct until proven otherwise.
A company can defend itself by proving the fires were caused by natural disaster or by parties not under its direction. Showing that concession maps are wrong can also rebut the presumption. This will incentivise companies to be more transparent about their land holdings and practices.
Consultations are being held on the Bill before its finalisation and details may be debated. Some may fairly ask, for example, whether the fines proposed are sufficient. While the upper limit of S$450,000 may seem significant to some, palm oil and other commodity companies implicated in the haze are often billion-dollar enterprises.
One thing should be clear, however: No matter how tough the law, this alone is no silver bullet.
COOPERATION REMAINS KEY
Cooperation — and not only penalties — remains the key. Even as the Singapore Government takes this step forward, it must continue to work more closely with Indonesian officials and key corporations. The ongoing fires show that challenges remain, but some signs are positive.
At a recent conference in Indonesia for the palm oil industry, all three Indonesian ministers for Agriculture, Forestry and the Environment called for compliance with no-burn policies. National efforts are being made to conserve forests and biodiversity, and reduce climate-change gases and the haze, which impacts their own citizens living closest to the fires.
Based on our recent visits to Indonesia, we have reason to hope that some in the country will welcome the proposed Singaporean laws as complementary measures.
We also observe that a number of companies are moving towards sustainability. Unilever, one of the largest purchasers of palm oil, for example, has declared its commitment to buy only from sustainable sources.
There are also banks that finance trade and investment in the palm oil sector which evaluate loans based on sustainability and reputational risk.
Such good examples, however, remain a minority. Palm oil and other plantations continue to expand in scale across Indonesia as an important driver for trade revenue and rural employment.
This is why a constructive dialogue is needed to level the playing field for those who have moved towards sustainability. Showcasing the positive examples, in tandem with the proposed penalties under the Bill, can help move more of the players in the industry and supply chain.
Otherwise, as expansions continue, future haze episodes may be even worse than the severe one experienced in June last year. It is significant to have laws and penalties proposed by Singapore to punish those who cause haze. But the very best outcome will be to prevent future incidents of severe haze.
For prevention to have even a chance, a mix of both coercion and cooperation is needed.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS:
Simon Tay is Chairman and Chua Chin Wei a Deputy Director of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs. The SIIA is convening the first Singapore dialogue on Sustainable World Resources in May to bring together policy makers, business leaders and non-government experts.
Chitra Kumar Channel NewsAsia 20 Feb 14;
SINGAPORE: A new S$10 million fund will be launched on April 1 this year to encourage construction firms to buy quieter machines and noise control equipment.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) gave details of the fund on Thursday morning at the Quieter Construction Seminar, saying that it aims to reduce noise pollution from construction sites, which would hopefully lead to a quieter living environment.
The NEA said the number of complaints on construction noise has been on the rise -- averaging over 16,000 a year due to more projects.
The Quieter Construction Fund (QCF) will offset up to 50 per cent of the cost of purchasing or leasing of noise reducing machines and is subject to individual equipment caps. The maximum grant that will be disbursed to each project site is capped at S$100,000 or five per cent of the project contract value, whichever is lower.
The targeted recipients are construction companies operating at construction sites located close to residential or noise sensitive premises.
The supported categories of equipment are quieter construction machines, noise control equipment and other innovative solutions.
An example of quieter construction machines is jack-in piling machines, which generates about 20 dB(A) less noise than bore piling machines.
Noise control equipment includes perimeter noise barriers, which can reduce noise by 5 dB(A) to 10 dB(A). When used as part of a good noise management system, the equipment will be effective in reducing construction noise.
Firms can start applying from 1 April 2014 to 31 March 2016. The funds will be disbursed from 1 April 2014 to the end of 2017.
Dominic Choy, Secretary-General of Singapore Contractors Association Limited, said: "For the construction companies, this fund will help companies to consider, or motivate them to consider adopting quieter equipment and processes.
"The bigger companies, by and large, they are already using much of this technology, but with the aid of the fund, they can do more or perhaps even consider getting better equipment than they have.
"The fund also helps mostly the small companies which usually have fewer cash resources. With this fund, I think it will definitely help them to be able to afford quieter equipment and processes."
The QCF is the latest initiative in NEA's measures to mitigate construction noise and build up the industry's expertise in the implementation of quieter construction.
It will also encourage construction companies to use innovative solutions to mitigate noise.
- CNA/xq/fa
New Straits Times 21 Feb 14;
NOT CRITICAL YET: Supply from dams can last two to three months, says DID director
A WATER crisis is looming after the prolonged dry spell caused water levels at dams and rivers to drop, with Selangor and Johor being put on alert.
The Department of Irrigation and Drainage (DID) yesterday revealed that, following the dry spell, water levels at 20 dams and 21 rivers nationwide had fallen between 0.3m and 1m since last Saturday.
"Although it is unlikely there will be rainfall in the next few months, the water supply from the dams could last up to two to three months.
"We have not reached the critical phase yet," DID Water Resources and Hydrology division director Datuk Hanapi Mohamad Noor told the New Straits Times.
He said the country would plunge into the critical phase when water levels at the dams could last for only one month.
The Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry yesterday said Selangor recorded the worst drop in water supply because of the high demand for treated water, compounded by a drop in water levels at Sungai Selangor and the Klang Gate dam and closure of two treatment plants in Batu 11, Cheras and Bukit Tampoi, Kuala Langat, because of high levels of ammonia.
"As of yesterday, the active storage capacity at Sungai Selangor and the Klang Gates dam were recorded at 52.02 per cent and 55.79 per cent, respectively," it said, adding that the authorities were monitoring the situation.
It said the water from the dams had to be released to ensure an optimum water level in the rivers, especially Sungai Selangor, which supplies 60 per cent of water for Selangor, Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya.
The dry spell, it said, had resulted in a higher content of ammonia for water treatment at Sungai Langat.
"The ministry has informed the National Water Services Commission (Span) to consider a water rationing exercise in affected areas if Syabas puts in a request.
"In Johor, Syarikat Air Johor Holdings (SAJH) has been given approval by Span to conduct a water-rationing exercise in Kluang district," it said, adding that the exercise began on Tuesday after the water level at Sungai Sembrong Kiri dropped, affecting the supply from the Sembrong Timur water treatment plant.
"On Wednesday, the Sembrong Timur water treatment plant saw a drop in supply from 31 million litres per day to 19 million litres per day.
"The water-rationing exercise affects 51,036 households in Kluang."
The ministry said although water levels in many dams had dropped, the country's water situation was under control and all water operators were told to obtain approval from Span, as stipulated by the law, if they sought to carry out water-rationing exercises.
"They were also told to include their contingency plans, which include management strategies, water rationing schedules, communication plans and other mitigation measures, such as deployment of water tankers and static water tanks."
In Seremban, Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said supply was restored to 80 per cent of the affected 1,437 consumer households here yesterday, with the remaining 20 per cent in Sendayan to receive water supply today.
"We reactivated the old pipes from the Kuala Sawah water treatment plant to supply 22.71 million litres per day to areas in Rasah, Mambau and parts of Seremban and Sendayan," he said, adding that the state government had approved RM2.6 million to build pipes connecting the Spring Hill water treatment plant to supply an additional 11 million litres per day of water to areas in Sendayan.
He said the state government would also install pipes to channel water from the Triang dam to the Ngoi-Ngoi water treatment plant to provide an additional 136 million litres of water per day.
"These two contingency plans are expected to be completed in three weeks."
In Johor Baru, state Works and Rural and Regional Development Committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohamad said SAJ Holdings Sdn Bhd , the state's water supplier, was ready to conduct cloud seeding operation.
"SAJ is ready to do cloud seeding. They will carry it out only if the condition worsens, as the cost of a cloud-seeding operation could come up to RM300,000," Hasni said yesterday.
However, he said, the water situation in the state was manageable and there was no need for cloud seeding for the time being.
Cloud seeding to proceed when weather is suitable
New Straits Times 21 Feb 14;
KUALA LUMPUR: Cloud seeding will be carried out to ease the water supply shortage following the severe dry spell when there is suitable weather, said Energy, Green Technology and Water Ministry secretary-general Datuk Loo Took Gee.
"Of course, it is an option. But we need to wait until there are favourable clouds to perform the cloud seeding."
She said the exercise required specific types of clouds and ideal wind conditions for it to be carried out successfully.
"We need rainfall in the correct locations. In the past few days, rain has not been falling at water catchment areas."
She said the ministry would also instruct the National Water Services Commission (SPAN) to issue notices to water concessionaires and consumers to embark on water conservation exercise.
She said a meeting would be held with the water concessionaires today to identify critical areas in the peninsula.
"The Klang Valley area is at a critical stage but we are identifying other areas in the peninsula and will issue notices after the meeting," she told the New Straits Times yesterday.
She said consumers should use water judiciously in light of the impending water crisis.
The Meteorological Department yesterday confirmed it had received a request from the Selangor Water Management Board (Luas) to carry out cloud seeding over the Klang Gate Dam in Ampang.
Its deputy director-general, Dr Mohd Rosaidi Che Abas, said the exercise would be carried out as soon as weather conditions were suitable.
"We have studied the request from Luas and agreed to go ahead with cloud seeding in the specified area. This will be done as soon as possible, and the cost will be borne by Luas."
Rosaidi said the weather forecast indicated the dry spell would continue until mid-March, with only moderate rainfall in certain areas. "However, the monsoon transition period will begin in mid-March, with steady rainfall expected to resume then."
Luas director Mohd Khairi Selamat said water reserves at three of the seven dams in Selangor had fallen below 80 per cent as of yesterday due to the dry spell.
"The water reserve level at the Klang Gate Dam has dropped to 56.12 per cent, Sungai Selangor Dam to 52.65 per cent and Langat Dam stands at 78.02 per cent," he said, adding that the decrease in the water level at the dams was unusual as it usually occurred between May and September during the southwest monsoon season.
The Jakarta Post 21 Feb 14;
A number of small airports in several North Sumatra regencies have been closed or seen their operations disrupted due to haze caused by land and forest fires over the past few days.
State-run airport management company PT Angkasa Pura II reported that one of the airports affected by the haze was the Ferdinand Lumban Tobing Airport in Pinangsori, Central Tapanuli regency. The airport, located on the western coast of North Sumatra, has been closed since Wednesday.
The company’s spokesman Ali Sofyan said a regular flight route from the Kuala Namu International Airport near Medan to the Pinangsori Airport had been cancelled.
“Based on a report from Pinangsori, the airport is still closed due to poor visibility,” Sofyan said on Thursday.
Sofyan, who is also airport service manager at Kuala Namu Airport, said it remained unclear when the Pinangsori airport would resume operations.
Meanwhile, Medan branch air navigation general manager Susanto said visibility at Silangit Airport in North Tapanuli regency was only 2,000 meters. According to him, the visibility was below the normal level so wide-body planes from Kuala Namu Airport did not want to risk landing at the airport.
“Today, the Silangit Airport remains open despite the haze and so far most flight activities are running smoothly,” he said, adding that only Wings Air flights were not servicing Silangit Airport.
Information and data section head at the Medan Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) Mega Sirait said among the airports affected by haze in North Sumatra were Pinangsori (Central Tapanuli), Aek Godang (South Tapanuli) and Silangit (North Tapanuli). He said the haze was caused by forest fires in various areas of North Sumatra, such as Mandailing Natal, South Tapanuli, Labuhan Batu, Asahan, Dairi and Karo regencies.
In Jambi, a fire has razed peatland measuring 7 hectares, located in the community forest in Kumpe Ilir district, Muarojambi regency. The fire has yet to be extinguished as of now.
The cause of the fire remains unclear.
Muarojambi Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) head M. Zakir confirmed the fire.
“I’m still in the field with my staff members. The fire has diminished and we will continue to fight it,” he said.
Forest and peatland fires have also spread in West Tanjungjabung regency. As of now, 19 hectares are covered with forest and peatland fires, the smoke from which has covered the regency.
West Tanjungjabung Forestry Office head H. Erwin said fires had been detected in the three districts of Betara, Bram Itam and Pengabuan.
To prevent the fires from spreading further, Erwin added that his office would deploy teams of forest rangers in the fire-prone areas.
Riau schools closed due to haze
The Jakarta Post 20 Feb 14;
Authorities of three local administrations in Riau have been forced to temporarily close schools due to health concerns related to the thick and choking haze blanketing the regions.
Provincial Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) data for Pekanbaru on Thursday showed that schools in the regencies of Siak and Kampar and Pekanbaru City were closed.
“The temporary closure is only for kindergarten and elementary school students up to grade three because. The length of the closures will depend on the level of contamination,” Kampar Education Agency head Jawaher said as quoted by Antara.
Pekanbaru City and Siak regency administrations began to shut schools two weeks ago. However, in Siak sixth, ninth and 12th grade students were obliged to attend school to prepare for the upcoming national exam.
A Pekanbaru resident, Kartika, said the closure saddened her. She was afraid that her son’s education would be affected.
Data from the Pekanbaru office of the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency shows that there were 70 hotspots in Riau on Thursday, a sharp falling from 281 on Wednesday. Despite this, however, Pekanbaru and its surrounding areas were still experiencing visibility of only 800 meters. (yln)
Peat fires in Sumatra pose hazy challenge for firefighters
Devianti Faridz Channel NewsAsia 20 Feb 14;
SUMATRA: Indonesian firefighting teams are in the midst of battling forest and plantation fires across central Sumatra as part of an effort to prevent hazardous levels of haze from spreading.
As well as dangerous fire fronts, the firefighters are facing numerous logistical issues as they attempt to tackle the blazes both above and below the ground.
Last week, the area in Mandau sub-district was on fire and in just three days, the fire spread and burned 150 hectares of land which amounts to half of all the land area owned by local villagers.
The surface fire is just part of the problem. The peat fires that are raging underground are posing a bigger challenge for the firefighters.
Local villagers have come along to help the Mandau district firefighting team to extinguish the peat fire before it spreads to the residential areas.
Zulkarnaen, team leader of the Mandau Firefighters, said: "Peat fires are difficult to extinguish. We have to drench it in water because the heat spreads underground. That's the biggest challenge we face."
One of the challenges of putting out forest and plantation fires in Mandau is its remote location and lack of access to water sources. Villagers have been trying to douse the fire using their small motorbike machine washer.
Fortunately, the areas that firefighters are trying to extinguish are located near a canal.
However, for areas that are currently smouldering on, there isn't any nearby water source and firefighters admit that fires in remote areas can only be put out by heavy rainfall.
And with the current dry spell across the region, that sort of natural relief is unlikely to come any time soon.
- CNA/fa
Daily peatland fires at Indonesia’s Riau province
Devianti Faridz Channel NewsAsia 21 Feb 14;
RIAU: Indonesia's Riau province is facing dry spells, and according to local authorities, some farmers are using the dry conditions to illegally clear land, which causes plantation fires and the haze to return.
Firefighters at Duri City are facing an uphill task as they combat fires on a daily basis.
The men are part of a larger force of 60 firefighters who have been assigned to the Bengkalis regency, which is the most affected area.
Out of 70 hotspots recorded on Thursday, more than half are found in the Bengkalis regency.
Firefighter Zulkarnaen and his team said they can put out two hotspots, which is roughly a hectare of land, each day.
But he admits they cannot keep up as the fire continues to spread fast.
Zulkarnaen, who is team leader of Mandau Firefighters, said: "We try to do our best with whatever equipment and manpower we have. Obviously it's not enough, because hot spots don't come at us from one direction but from all four corners.”
Peatland fires in a certain area can reappear a few weeks later, forcing firefighters to return to the same spot to put out the underground fire and resulting smoke.
Zulkarnaen said: "Peatland fires are difficult to extinguish. It can't be put out after one douse of water. We have to drench it in water because the heat spreads underground.
That's the biggest challenge we face."
Firefighters are also trying to tap into nearby water sources to prevent the fire from spreading.
Fortunately, the areas affected by such fires are located near a canal, but for the areas that are currently smouldering on the horizon, there isn't any nearby water source.
Suiswantoro, head of the firefighting team at Riau Disaster Mitigation Agency, said: "If we are short on water supply, the alternative would be to make shallow water canals around the periphery or block canals so that it overflows. In one or two days, the water will flow into the peatlands.”
In 2013, Riau was under a haze disaster emergency programme, but since then, there has been no increase in allocation of resources.
Right now, only six firefighting vehicles and 10 portable fire extinguishers are available to cover an area eleven times the size of Singapore.
- CNA/nd
Marcelo Teixeira PlanetArk 21 Feb 14;
A new online monitoring system will make it possible to quickly check the condition of tropical forests around the globe that were previously under no surveillance, potentially increasing pressure on governments to stop deforestation.
Washington-based World Resources Institute (WRI) will provide public access on Thursday to the new tool to evaluate forests worldwide. Global Forest Watch (GFW) was developed by dozens of institutions with the help of Google Inc's Earth Engine.
It promises to improve scrutiny of changes in forest cover in vulnerable areas of Southeast Asia, Africa and the Amazon.
"For the first time, we have united in one place powerful satellite information analyzed in a way that is easy to understand," said Nigel Sizer, director of WRI's Global Forest Initiative.
The system uses high resolution data from half a billion Landsat satellite images to measure tree cover loss or gain. It also carries a tree cover loss alert, pinpointing where new forest clearing occurs.
"With the exception of Brazil, none of the tropical forest countries have been able to report the state of their forests," said Rebecca Moore, engineering manager with Google Earth Outreach and Earth Engine. "Now it will be possible to have near real-time updates of the state of the world's forests, open to anyone to use."
The project was made possible by the Landsat imagery archives opened to the public in 2008 by the U.S. Geological Service, Moore said.
WRI expects the new system to also increase the pressure on commodities suppliers in countries where forests are at risk.
Swiss food giant Nestle said the new tool could contribute to better oversight of suppliers of raw materials such as meat, soy and palm oil.
"It is going to help us dramatically to refine our work on the ground, in places where we think there might be issues with our supply chain," said Duncan Pollard, associate vice president for sustainability at Nestle, a program collaborator.
Global Forest Watch will embed key information in the images. For example, it will be possible to check which palm oil company is operating in a specific area of Indonesia where images have shown recent forest destruction. That could lead to a buyer canceling purchases from a supplier, WRI's Sizer said.
Carlos Souza, from Brazilian forest research center Imazon, a partner in the program, said projects to reduce emissions from deforestation and forest degradation could receive a boost due to increased data transparency.
"Investors could feel more comfortable to take part in projects if they can track forest loss," Souza said.
The governments of Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States are among the largest donors for the initial investment of $25 million to build the tool.
(Editing by Nick Zieminski)
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