Best of our wild blogs: 19-20 Sep 15

Life History of the Plain Lacewing
Butterflies of Singapore

Night Walk At Venus Drive (18 Sep 2015)
Beetles@SG BLOG

Hummingbird Hawk Moth, Hummingbird and Sunbird
Bird Ecology Study Group

Read more!

Arrests over haze could be game changer

The Star 20 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE: There was to be no more dragging of feet from the authorities, said Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Security and Political Affairs Luhut Panjaitan during a high-level meeting in Jakarta.

Track down the culprits and send them to jail, ordered the former Special Forces general on Tuesday, who until recently was also President Joko Widodo’s chief of staff.

Luhut might as well be speaking on behalf of the president, who was on a working tour of the Middle East when the Pollutant Standards Index in the Riau capital of Pekanbaru hit a record 984 on Monday. Any reading of 300 and above is considered hazardous.

His words clearly carried weight.

About 140 suspects, including seven described by Indonesian police as corporate executives, were promptly rounded up on Wednesday. The rest were individuals – farmers mainly – not officially linked to any of the larger firms, or their smaller suppliers that run plantations on concession land.

The swift action, particularly against the corporates, came as a surprise to many.

Such arrests are rare. Some would even go as far as to say they do not expect any convictions from these cases that primarily involve the breach of environmental laws.

After all, it’s not the first time that suspects in such cases were arrested and charged in court.

Several cases dating back to 2012 and 2013 – the year when forest fires were so severe they caused record levels of air pollution in Singapore and states of emergency in Malaysia and Indonesia – remain in limbo with no convictions.

Getting tough on recalcitrant companies and individuals has always been a challenge for the Indonesian authorities.

Green groups and observers say investigations are often let down by poor law enforcement, corruption and unclear rules on land use.

No wonder national police chief Badrodin Haiti once said prosecuting crimes against the environment was more complex than dealing with terrorism.

There were, however, cases in which plantation companies were successfully prosecuted.

The recent case against Indonesian palm oil company PT Kallista Alam is one.

The firm had its appeal rejected by the Supreme Court last month and was ordered to pay a staggering 366 billion rupiah (RM107mil) in fines for illegally burning peatland in Aceh back in 2012.

Illegal forest fires on peatlands in Sumatra and Kalimantan have been the source of the haze that blanketed parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore in recent weeks.

Another example is the case of Malaysian firm Adei Plantation.

In September last year, a Riau district court sentenced one of the firm’s managers to one year in jail and fined him two billion rupiah for failing to prevent forest fires on his company’s estate in June 2013.

That judgment came at a time when Indonesia was trying to show that it was willing to act on environmental offences.

Heavy penalties like the one meted out to PT Kallista Alam for offences under Indonesia’s environmental laws, however, remain uncommon.

In fact, prosecutors had sought a five-year sentence for the manager from Adei.

At the time, Mas Achmad Santosa, who oversaw law enforcement monitoring at the now defunct presidential working unit, UKP4, said the penalties against Adei were too light considering the impact its actions had on the health of the people in Riau, and on the image of Indonesia in the eyes of Singapore and Malaysia.

Green groups have continued to maintain that lenient sentences remain a weak link as the deterrent effect has not been felt, nor have they put a stop to the illegal burning of forests and peatlands in Indonesia.

However, the Environment and Forestry Ministry – which filed the lawsuit against PT Kallista Alam three years ago – reportedly said that the ruling against the firm on Aug 28 was a landmark decision considering the massive fine, which is possibly the highest ever imposed in an environmental law case.

Many are now hoping that the Supreme Court verdict would set a precedent for future law enforcement against such firms.

Read more!

Indonesia: Thick haze still lingers, though hot spots decrease

thejakartapost.com 19 Sep 15;

The number of hot spots in Sumatra and Kalimantan has decreased over the last few days, yet the haze from forest and land fires remains fairly thick, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

“Visibility is still low and the average air quality is unhealthy,” said BNPB head Sutopo Purwo Nugroho on Friday as quoted by Antara news agency.

The Terra and Aqua satellites on Friday detected 471 hot spots in Sumatra and 398 hot spots in Kalimantan.

In Sumatra, the hot spots were detected in Jambi (166), followed by South Sumatra (148), Riau (116), West Sumatra (25), Bengkulu (10), North Sumatra (four) and Lampung (two).

In terms of visibility, Pelalawan in Riau and Jambi encountered the lowest with 200 meters, followed by Dumai (300 meters) and Pekanbaru (500 meters), both in Riau, and Palembang in South Sumatra (1 kilometer).

In Kalimantan, the hot spots were spread around Central Kalimantan (190), South Kalimantan (133), East Kalimantan (42) and West Kalimantan (33).

The region’s lowest visibility occurred in Sanggu Buntok in Central Kalimantan (100 meters), followed by Nanga Pinoh in West Kalimantan and Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan (200 meters), Palangkaraya in Central Kalimantan (300 meters), Pontianak in West Kalimantan (400 meters), Ketapang in West Kalimantan and Sampit in Central Kalimantan (500 meters), Pangkalan Bun in Central Kalimantan (700 meters) and Muara Teweh in Central Kalimantan (1 kilometer).

BNPB also reported that the haze in Sumatra was no longer reaching the Malacca Strait or neighboring Singapore and Malaysia. However, the agency added, the smog in Kalimantan was still reaching the western part of Malaysia’s Sarawak state in northern Borneo.

“Almost 80 percent of Kalimantan is blanketed by smoke,” said Sutopo.

The pollution has disrupted activities at most schools in Central Kalimantan, Riau and Jambi; all three have issued a siaga (alert) emergency level, the highest level.

Thousands of officers have been deployed to extinguish the fires. (edn/kes)(++++)

Haze returns to West Sumatra as Malaysians evacuated from Riau
Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, The Jakarta Post 19 Sep 15;

Haze returned to almost all parts of West Sumatra on Friday after thinning for three days following rain over much of the province, forcing the Malaysian government to evacuate its citizens from Riau.

A Global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) station in Bukit Koto Tabang, Agam regency, reported that as of 12 p.m. on Friday the air quality in the region was ‘‘unhealthy’’. The condition worsened until 1 p.m. and persisted as of 2 p.m. although on the previous day the air quality had been reported to be ‘good’.

Station staff member Alberth Nahas said there were two factors that had brought the haze back to West Sumatra.

First, he said, burned land that had caused haze in the southern part of Sumatra was still dry, meaning forest and land fires could not yet be dealt with thoroughly. Second, there might have been differences in air pressure between two air layers close to the surface.

“The difference caused dust particles to be restrained, so we can feel the impacts of haze,” Alberth said.

He added that the strong smell from the haze indicated that its source was not far away and that the pollution came from a relatively low air layer.

Budi of Padang Panjang said that haze was thickening in the city, where the pungent smoke could be smelled strongly.

Padang Panjang Health Agency said it had contacted the West Sumatra Provincial Health Agency’s laboratory center to monitor the air quality in the city on Saturday. As of Friday, schools in the city remained temporarily closed.

In Pekanbaru, Riau, Antara news agency reported that the Malaysian consulate started evacuating its nationals due to the haze. Consulate staff member Antoni said 120 Malaysians, including 86 students and 10 teachers, were to fly bank to Malaysia on Friday.

“This is an anticipatory measure because the air pollution standard index has exceeded the dangerous threshold,” said Antoni, adding that the Malaysians would be transported on board military aircraft from Subang airport, Malaysia.

“We received an order from the Malaysian kingdom to go home because haze in Pekanbaru is very dangerous,” said Ahmad Akifahmi, one of the Malaysian nationals waiting to be transported home.

Meanwhile, Central Kalimantan acting governor Hadi Prabowo said he would revoke the licenses of companies proven to have burned land during the dry season, causing haze.

“This has to be done to create a chilling effect,” Hadi said in Palangkaraya as quoted by Antara on Friday.

Hadi, who is also a director at the Home Affairs Ministry, gave his assurances that licensing would be tightened in the future to help prevent forest and land fires from recurring in the province.

“That’s why in the future every license has to come with the availability of fire fighting facilities including canals, water reservoirs and other equipment,” Hadi said.

Separately, the Central Kalimantan Police’s special crimes detective director Sr. Comr. Anton Sasono said the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) had deployed 15 investigators to help the Central Kalimantan Police investigate land fire cases.

He said the team would work with the hotspot investigation team in company areas indicated to have been burned.

Over half of 70 daily flights from Riau cancelled due to haze
MOHD ISKANDAR IBRAHIM New Straits Times 20 Sep 15;

RIAU (INDONESIA): Thick haze that blanketed Riau has affected almost 50 per cent of the flight operations at the Sultan Syarif Kasim II (SSK-II), here, for the past month.

SSK-II duty manager Hasnan Harun when met yesterday said many flights had to be either cancelled or delayed because aircraft were not allowed to take off or land due to poor visibility.

"Today (Saturday), 38 out of 70 scheduled flights (arrival and departure), including a Malindo Air flight from Malacca, had to be cancelled while the rest were delayed until visibility reached safe level.

"The minimum level of visibility for take off is 700 metres, while for landing is 1,000 metres.

"This morning (Saturday), three flights - AirAsia to Kuala Lumpur, Batik Air and Lion Air to Jakarta were delayed because visibility here as of 9am was only 500 metres," he said.

Hasnan said even if the haze situation had worsened, they would not shut down the airport. Instead, they will keep airlines updated.

He said since the haze started, only two days (Sept 11 and 15) saw zero flight arrival and departure because the visibility level was below 100 metres.

"An average of 8,000 passengers use this airport daily. But since the haze hits Riau, the number has dwindled."

Read more!

Indonesia: Dams to cut supply as dry season drags on

The Jakarta Post 19 Sep 15;

WONOGIRI: Gajah Mungkur and Colo dams in Wonogiri, Central Java, plan to stop irrigating farmland for a month, starting on Oct. 1, in an effort to save water, an official has said.

“In the current prolonged dry season, the availability of clean water is imperative. [The move] is in the interests of the wider public,” said the head of state-owned clean water company Perum Jasa Tirta I’s water resource and service division, Winarno Susiladi.

Winarno said the cutting off of irrigation supplies would begin in October, by which time most harvests would be complete, reducing the need for water. “We need to match the farmers’ harvest schedule before we stop the water supply. The closure will also allow maintenance of the dams and irrigation channels,” he added.

The two dams are used to irrigate 24,000 hectares of farmland in Wonogiri, Sukoharjo, Klaten, Karanganyar and Sragen, all in Central Java, and Ngawi in East Java, according to the official.

- See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/09/19/islands-focus-dams-cut-supply-dry-season-drags.html#sthash.rnowUPhs.dpuf

Read more!

Think-tank SIIA explores ways to map hotspots amid haze

In 2013, ASEAN leaders approved a joint haze monitoring system, but there have been roadblocks in implementing the system. The Singapore Institute of International Affairs hopes to make these maps available to the public through its website.
Wendy Wong Channel NewsAsia 18 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE: In 2013, ASEAN leaders approved a joint haze monitoring system, which was supposed to help identify companies or farmers that resort to slash-and-burn tactics to clear land.

However, there have been roadblocks in implementing the system. A local think-tank is looking for ways to get around the problem.

The haze monitoring system uses satellite pictures, hotspot data and concession maps to pinpoint who is responsible for fires that cause the haze.

However, Malaysia and Indonesia have been reluctant to release concession maps, with senior officials from Indonesia stressing that they are prohibited from sharing these maps publicly.

Said assistant director of sustainability at the Singapore Institute of International Affairs (SIIA) Cheong Poh Kwan: "In the context of Indonesia, a big problem is that there are no standardised up-to-date and authoritative concession maps that can be revealed to the public and so this is a huge problem in the case of fire and haze tracking, because without the maps, it is very hard for us to establish accountability with fires being out of control."

HAZE MAPPING

SIIA is looking for an alternative solution. It went to Jakarta and Bogor in Indonesia earlier this week to meet non-governmental organisations, environment groups and private sector companies.

“What we learnt from the mapping experts we met in Indonesia is that mapping is actually not technically challenging with the help of technology, and is technically feasible,” said Ms Cheong. “In fact, the Civil Society in Indonesia has already mapped five million hectares of land and these are usually land with a lot of problems, with land conflicts; they are contested between the local communities and companies that have come into their area to try and develop it. So technically, it is not challenging.

“The bigger challenge is, how can we then get the government to recognise these maps, and also reconcile the differences between these community maps and the ones that the government has in their possession. Different ministries may also have different concession maps. And then, how do we get the different parties to understand and acknowledge and respect these boundaries when the maps are done."

The trip was a precursor to a meeting in November, which SIIA is convening to get experts to discuss and collaborate on haze mapping.

"In the absence of official maps, maybe we can think about using a platform to host unofficial maps that can be submitted, either by companies themselves or by mapping experts in Indonesia that are already doing the work with the help of local communities,” said Ms Cheong.

“So if these maps can be gathered, verified, then perhaps it could still help with the fire and haze monitoring system, and they can also potentially be used as powerful evidence for the operationalisation of the haze law," she added.

The think-tank hopes that these maps will be made available to the public through its Haze Tracker website. The site aims to help plug the information gap and provide a measure of accountability.

INDONESIA'S DECENTRALISED GOVERNMENT

SIIA also said that Jakarta's efforts to fight the haze have been weak due to the decentralised nature of Indonesia's government.

Said Ms Cheong: "From what we understood from a lot of NGOs that we have spoken to, the reason why a lot of plans that the central government has in place are not carried out is because the regional authorities are not doing what they are told to do.

“So in the instance of Riau, we know that there is already a fund allocated for them to stop the start of fires in the first place. Unfortunately, the fund was not fully utilised, because on their budget, it is stated that the fund is used for fire suppression and not fire prevention. So because of some of these administrative and technical complexities, the plan that the central government has in place is not carried out at the local level."

Ms Cheong also advised that one possible solution would be to reallocate the budget to provide more funding for fire prevention as well as fire suppression, and to ensure that future directives by the central government are more explicit in fighting the haze.

- CNA/ek


Cloud hangs over enforcement of anti-haze law
Audrey Tan, Samantha Boh, Straits Times AsiaOne 18 Sep 15;

A law to punish polluters who cause the haze has been lauded as an innovative and significant environment and public health law, but experts have pointed out challenges to its enforcement.

Inadequate policing in Indonesia, where the burning takes place, and a lack of reliable information on land ownership and usage there make it difficult to take errant companies to task, they say.

The law is also limited to foreign firms with a presence in Singapore, but prosecuting them here would not curb the practice of burning land there.

As National University of Singapore law professor Alan Tan said: "It is hard to see how prosecuting a few companies in Singapore can deter others when the practice of burning is so widespread and entrenched in Indonesia."

The experts were responding to queries on the recent breaches in the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act, passed in Parliament in August last year. The Act targets those responsible for causing or condoning fires if burning results in unhealthy levels of haze in Singapore.

Those guilty can be fined up to $100,000 a day, capped at a total of $2 million, for causing unhealthy haze, defined as a 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) value of 101 or greater for 24 hours or more.

There have been two such breaches since last week, the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources said on Tuesday.

The first was a 41-hour stretch that took place between 10am on Sept 10 and 2am on Sept 12, and the second was a 109-hour stretch that lasted from 8pm on Sept 12 to 8am on Sept 17.

The authorities said then that they are investigating both cases, which require information from various sources, such as maps, meteorological data and satellite imagery.

But experts have pointed to Indonesia's complex, often overlapping land ownership and usage rights as the primary difficulty in gaining knowledge on the sources of pollution.

"Land use and land tenure in Indonesia are governed by a complex web of national, provincial and customary laws that often compete and perhaps even conflict with each other," said Singapore Management University (SMU) law don Eugene Tan. "It is not at all clear, for the purpose of a successful prosecution, who might own a piece of land."

Dr Nigel Sizer, global director of the forests programme at United States-based think-tank World Resources Institute, agreed, saying: "Some fires occur in concessions managed by companies, but others occur outside concessions or are lit by individuals. Tools like Global Forest Watch can identify the location of the fires, but it can still be challenging to attribute individual fires to a specific actor, and in many cases, concession boundaries are highly disputed."

Indonesia's lack of willingness in sharing concession maps has long been cited as one of the main reasons that hinder law enforcement efforts in affected areas. Last month, a top Indonesian environment official said the country could not disclose plantation concession information, even from government to government, as doing so would breach Indonesian law.

SMU's Assistant Professor Mahdev Mohan, who has a research interest in public international law, said: "The absence of transparency when it comes to authoritative concession maps on land ownership, and specific data about what is happening within these concessions and surrounding areas, is striking."

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Vivian Balakrishnan told reporters on Tuesday that he has appealed to the Indonesian Environment and Forestry minister for the names of companies currently being investigated by the authorities there. He said: "I want to make sure all executives, shareholders, owners, financiers of such companies know how seriously we take this issue, and that if we can get the evidence, we will not hesitate to take the fullest action possible against these companies."

Read more!

Event organisers take steps to protect guests from haze

Yasmine Yahya, Straits Times AsiaOne 18 Sep 15;

Visitors and investors streaming into Singapore for the Formula One (F1) race this weekend can look forward to wining and dining in style as usual, with organisers taking precautions to protect their guests from the effects of the haze.

The organisers of the Singapore Summit, an annual meeting of thought leaders discussing economic and finance issues, have made provisions to have N95 masks available to participants at the summit venue.

About 450 delegates are expected this year, where the highlight will be a dialogue with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

There have not been any cancellations specifically because of the haze, said Ms Linda Sein, executive director of the Global Asia Programme Office at the Economic Development Board.

Some of these delegates might very well be spending the weekend at the F1 race as well, where private banks say client events will go on as planned.

A Citi Singapore spokesman said the bank has invited about 200 clients to watch the race. So far, none of its invited guests has pulled out because of the haze.

DBS Bank, which is hosting about 100 wealth and corporate clients at its F1 corporate hospitality lounge, is taking some precautions. "Air purifiers will be installed in our hospitality lounge and we are also sending N95 masks by courier to our guests before the event. The masks will also be provided in our event goodie bags," said Ms Karen McGregor, senior vice-president of group strategic marketing and communications at DBS.

Organisers of outdoor events taking place this weekend are also playing it safe.

Singapore Management University is holding its SMU Mile Run for which about 300 participants have signed up.

"The run will be converted into a walking event if the three-hour PSI is in the 101-150 range and the event will be cancelled if the three-hour PSI exceeds 150," said SMU Provost Professor Lily Kong.

Read more!

Shanmugam calls Indonesian counterpart to convey 'deep concern' over haze

Mr Shanmugam emphasised that all ASEAN states should fulfil their obligations under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze signed by all of the group's 10 members.
Channel NewsAsia 18 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE: With hazy conditions set to persist in Singapore, Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam called Indonesia's Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi on Friday (Sep 18) to express deep concern about the haze situation.

A statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Mr Shanmugam highlighted to Mr Retno that the haze situation had attracted international attention, and there is focus on how regional countries are dealing with the issue.

During their conversation, Mr Shanmugam also told Mr Retno that the recurrence of the haze has both immediate and long-term health impacts on Singaporeans and others in the region. Mr Shanmugam added that the haze has a negative economic impact on the entire region, including Indonesia. To effectively combat the haze issue, greater regional efforts and cooperation are needed, he said.

Mr Shanmugam also emphasised that all ASEAN states should follow through and fulfil their obligations under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze which all 10 ASEAN members have signed. This includes operationalising the ASEAN Haze Monitoring System.

The steps taken thus far by the Indonesian government to address the haze issue - including the declaration of states of emergency in provinces affected and its investigations on errant companies suspected of causing the fires - was welcomed by Mr Shanmugam, said MFA.

He said strong action needed to be taken against those companies, and urged the Indonesian authorities to share the names of those companies so Singapore can take action against them.

"Minister Retno said that the names of errant companies would be conveyed through the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia to the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources," said MFA, adding that Mr Shanmugam welcomed this and said Singapore would take action against the companies to the fullest extent of its laws once the names were provided.

Mr Shanmugam also emphasised to Mr Retno the importance of finding a longer-term solution to address the causes of the haze, MFA said.

Indonesia has yet to accept an offer from Singapore to deploy Singapore Armed Forces aircraft to help douse the forest fires. It initially accepted the offer only to turn it down days later.

- CNA/dl

Haze now has world’s attention, Shanmugam tells Jakarta
Today Online 18 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE — In a telephone call today (Sept 18) to express deep concern over the ongoing haze situation in Singapore, Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said to his Indonesian counterpart that the haze had attracted international attention, and there was focus on how regional countries were dealing with it.

Noting that transboundary haze had a negative economic impact on the entire region, Mr Shanmugam sought greater regional cooperation and stressed that member states of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (ASEAN) should fulfil their obligations under the ASEAN Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, which includes operationalising the ASEAN Haze Monitoring System.

Mr Shanmugam’s comments during his call to Indonesia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno Marsudi were outlined in a statement issued by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs today. Mr Shanmugam said strong action needs to be taken against errant companies behind the forest fires in Indonesia. He welcomed Ms Retno’s statement that the names of these errant companies would be conveyed to Singapore’s Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

Mr Shanmugam, who is also Law Minister, said Singapore would take action to the fullest extent of its laws once the names are provided. He also welcomed steps taken by the Indonesian government to combat the haze and stressed the importance of a longer-term solution to address the causes behind the recurrent problem.

Separately, Indonesia’s Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said in a press conference today that the authorities will begin naming several companies from next week. Sanctions they could face for starting fires include the withdrawal of their licences.

Air quality in Singapore deteriorated today because of haze blown in by the wind.

The 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index at 8pm was 79 to 92, in the moderate range. The one-hour PM2.5 (fine particulate matter) at 8pm was 63 to 87 microgrammes per cubic metre.

Occasional hazy conditions are expected tomorrow, with air quality ranging from moderate to unhealthy, said the National Environment Agency.


Indonesia decision on haze help up to Jokowi
Indonesia's environment minister says the country's president must decide whether to accept Singapore's offer to help battle forest fires in Sumatra.
Saifulbahri Ismail and Sujadi Siswo, Channel NewsAsia 18 Sep 15;

JAKARTA: The Indonesian government has not yet decided if it will accept help from Singapore to put out the forests fires currently raging in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

At a news conference on Friday (Sep 18), Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said the decision on whether to accept help or not is a national decision to be made by President Joko Widodo.

Ms Siti told reporters that in her previous conversation with Singapore's Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan, Singapore had offered to send one Chinook helicopter, one water bombing aircraft and a team to conduct assessment works.

She said she appreciated Singapore's offer of help and hopes the republic is able to send more aircraft to fight the fires.

Indonesia has already activated 24 aircraft in its efforts to extinguish the fires. President Widodo ordered the mobilisation of hundreds more troops and enforcement officers to tackle the forest fires, which have caused air quality to reach hazardous levels in Riau.

Earlier this week, Indonesian media reported that vice-president Jusuf Kalla had called on Singapore to help. "Singapore please come and tackle the haze because the effect is also felt by Singapore. Everyone dislikes it and we have put in extra effort to tackle the fires," he said.

On Friday, Mr Kalla told reporters that forest burning in Sumatra is part of a natural risk that should be accepted by neighbouring countries. "Neighbouring countries already enjoy 11 months of clean fresh air from Indonesia, thus if they suffer from the haze in a month, that is just a risk," he said.

He also mentioned that forest fires in Sumatra were part of a "natural disaster", adding that forest fires also occurred in the United States in the Californian forest area.

He said currently, Indonesia was putting effort to extinguish the fires in Sumatra. "It's a nature problem. We are already trying very hard and spent money deploying almost 20 planes to extinguish the fire, but it's difficult to handle."

Minister Siti Nurbaya will be meeting with her Malaysian counterpart next week in Jakarta, to discuss how to tackle the haze crisis.

Malaysia's Natural Resources and Environment Minister Wan Junaidi Jaafar earlier said a memorandum of understanding would be signed between the two countries, along with Singapore, Brunei and Thailand on what actions to take. They will also explore how to help Indonesia put out the fires.

However, Dr Wan Junaidi later told Channel NewsAsia his meeting with his Indonesian counterpart, meant to take place next Friday, was postponed indefinitely. He added: "Jakarta must have the political will to solve the perennial haze menace once and for all."

Currently, Indonesian law dictates that provinces will have to declare an emergency before the central government and foreign countries can help. The meeting is aimed at reducing red tape and speeding up the provision of aid.

LOCALS PLEAD INNOCENCE

Ogan Komering Ilir - east of South Sumatra province - has the highest number of hotspots.

“There are fires from the land of plantation companies. They are also caused by cigarette butts and there is land burned for clearing, for a variety of reasons. There are many irresponsible people," said Dani, a resident.

Other villagers argued that they have already stopped clearing their land using the slash and burn technique.

“Villagers will only burn their land after they have cordoned the area to prevent the fire from spreading. They won’t start the fire if it can possibly spread, so the burning was done earlier. During the fire-prone period - which is now - no villagers will burn their land. We are not allowed to anymore," said farmer Ogan Komering Illir.

South Sumatran authorities are blaming the weather, saying they underestimated the severity of the dry spell.

"We started water-bombing and weather modification in July. At that time there was no fire. There was no hotspot. But we made the peat land wet. But suddenly on August 26, boom, because that was the peak of the hot season; very extreme," said South Sumatra governor Alex Noerdin.

So far, Indonesia has arrested executives from seven companies accused of contributing to the haze and air pollution in the region. More than 20 companies in South Sumatra are now under investigation and some are foreign-owned.

“Some people have already been arrested. Some companies have already been accused. But we need to have proof otherwise we have difficulties in the court. So investigations are now in progress," Mr Nordin said.

MALAYSIA EVACUATIONS

Meantime, there was a slight improvement in haze levels in Singapore on Thursday, but the air quality remained unhealthy for the east Malaysian state of Sarawak. Authorities say schools in Sarawak will remain closed.

Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed it would evacuate 173 Malaysians badly affected by the haze in Pekanbaru. Two Royal Malaysian Air Force C-130 aircraft will be deployed to evacuate the group.

On Wednesday, the air pollutant index registered readings above 200 and there were also some disruptions to air traffic due to poor visibility.

Singapore’s National Environment Agency said the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) reading was expected to remain within the moderate range for much of Thursday due to prevailing wind conditions.

Slightly hazy conditions can be expected if the wind changes direction.

- CNA/Merdeka.com/jb/al

Read more!

Sembcorp, EDB to provide test bed for water, environmental technology firms

Channel NewsAsia 18 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE: Technology companies will be allowed to develop and test environmental solutions at Sembcorp Industries' waste water treatment and waste-to-energy facilities on Jurong Island, Sembcorp announced on Friday (Sep 18).

Called the Sembcorp Industrial Living Lab initiative, the partnership between Sembcorp and the Economic Development Board (EDB) allows technology providers to carry out applied research and development (R&D) in areas such as smart water systems and carbon capture.

The initiative will also see Sembcorp and EDB jointly investing up to S$8 million to support the commercialisation of R&D projects from the pilot-testing stage to market-ready levels.

EDB Assistant Managing Director Lim Kok Kiang said the partnership with Sembcorp will strengthen Singapore's position as a Global Hydrohub and provide another commercialisation pathway for water research investments.

"It is also aligned with Singapore's aspiration to be a living lab where companies can develop, test and commercialise urban solutions in a real-life setting before scaling up for the region and beyond,” he added.

Sembcorp, a Singapore engineering and marine conglomerate, provides energy and water solutions to industrial and municipal customers around the world. The group also develops and manages industrial parks in several countries and is involved in the offshore and marine business through subsidiary Sembcorp Marine.

- CNA/xq

Read more!

NEA calls for tender for e-waste management study

The study should include a survey of the e-waste collection and recycling value chain, as well as proposed systems for the collection, management and recycling of the waste, says NEA.
Channel NewsAsia 18 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE: The National Environment Agency (NEA) on Friday (Sep 18) called for a tender to conduct a study on the collection, recycling and management of electrical and electronic waste (e-waste), amid the increasing use of electronic devices.

NEA said it will use the study findings to consider a system for collecting and recycling e-waste. The study should include a survey of the e-waste collection and recycling value chain, including the final treatment and disposal. Using the results of the survey, the successful bidder should propose cost-effective and efficient systems for the collection, recycling and management of e-waste, NEA added.

The tender opens on Friday and closes at 4pm on Nov 5, 2015. The study is expected to start in December and end in the fourth quarter of 2016.

Currently, Singapore generates about 60,000 tonnes of e-waste from households and industrial and commercial sources. The amount of e-waste is growing as technology advances, resulting in faster product replacement, said NEA.

“E-waste may contain valuable and scarce materials, but also small amounts of hazardous substances which may pose pollution and health concerns if not properly disposed of,” NEA said.

- CNA/xq

Read more!

Lots of fun, food and art for PARK(ing) Day 2015

Parking lots around Singapore were transformed into spaces for street art, music and entertainment for a day as part of a worldwide celebration.
Kenneth Lim Channel NewsAsia 18 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE: For circus practitioner Yap Zhijing, there is much more to do at a parking lot, than park a car. Ms Yap and her friends stopped traffic and turned heads at Rowell today with their street art, busking, and freestyle soccer tricks.

"We're here to really create some interesting installations, to let people rethink the way we live, and the way we see our public spaces," said Ms Yap, 27. "We're trying to encourage people to walk more often, and see our surroundings and neighbourhood."

Ms Yap and her friends are just one group who took part in PARK(ing) Day 2015, an international movement to bring life to streets and public spaces. This is the third time the event is taking place in Singapore, with 140 parking lots around Singapore being used as creative spaces on Friday (Sep 18), featuring street art, music performances, and even an outdoor karaoke competition.

"You're asking your normal citizens and your residents to come and activate urban spaces again, to make normal forgotten spaces something you can linger and pay more attention to," said arts manager Jean Hair. For PARK(ing) Day this year, the 31 year old set up two refurbished pianos at the Aliwal Arts Centre. Called "Play It Forward," Hair hopes passers-by will "unleash their inner pianist", while giving old pianos a second lease of life.

But it is not just about the entertainment. Some are also using the space to share their culture.

"We're letting people try the differences between Indian food, Bangladeshi food, and see if they can spot the difference," said Shannon Lim, director of construction firm, Onhand Industrial.

The 29-year-old was giving out meals of curry fish and rice to passers-by at Rowell Road alongside his workers. And he says there needs to be "greater awareness and acceptance, of the people that built the flats and quite literally built the parking lots that we're on right now."

PARK(ing) Day has arguably grown more popular since it first started in 2013. There are 70 "PARKS" this time around, compared with 52 last year.

But the movement has drawn mixed reactions. While some welcomed the initiative, others said it inconveniences drivers, especially when events are held at lunch in crowded areas like the Central Business District.


But ultimately, the Urban Redevelopment Authority said the intention is also to give people a chance to transform their city.

"The challenge is really not about putting the event together," said URA's director of Urban Planning, Tracey Hwang. "It's about changing the mindset of people to help people appreciate the importance of public spaces in our built environment, and to be able to understand what fewer car park lots could do, and how it will benefit the larger community."

PARK(ing) Day is one of the initiatives under URA's PubliCity programme. Others include "Play at Jalan Besar" - a series of life-sized games and installations, open till the end of October.


Play and unwind at parking lots around Singapore
AsiaOne 18 Sep 15;

SINGAPORE - Parking lots across Singapore will be transformed into arts spaces today (Sept 18) as part of the third local edition of the international PARK(ing) Day movement.

A total of 140 parking lots located at 70 clusters such as Bras Basah, Bugis, the Central Business District, and Tiong Bahru will be transformed into 'PARKS', with activities such as street magic performances to a freestyle football demonstration.

Visitors to Jalan Besar can also try their hands at ping pong, hoops, a giant-sized chess game and even a back lane maze, organised by the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA).

The activities at Jalan Besar is part of PLAY, an initiative to activate various public spaces in the area to allow residents and visitors to enjoy the neighbourhood in a delightful way.

PLAY will run from Sept 18 to Oct 30, URA said in a statement today.

The PARK and PLAY initiatives are part of URA's PubliCity programme aiming to involve the community in celebrating and enlivening public spaces through good design and programmes.

Ng Lang, Chief Executive Officer of URA, said, "The energy at this event was inspiring last year, and we do not expect any less this year. It is testimony that our people love our city, and want to contribute in responsible and creative ways to enliven our streets and public spaces."

Members of the public are encouraged to add the hashtags #PubliCitySG and #PARKingDaySG to their pictures and videos on Facebook and Instagram, or share them at the PARK(ing) Day Facebook page.

For more information about the PARKs and their locations, please log on to http://bit.ly/PARKlocations2015.

Read more!

Indonesia says it needs 30 days to control fires

Potential for haze until end-Nov because of El Nino, but aim is to put out majority of fires by mid-Oct: Agency spokesman
Today Online 18 Sep 15;

JAKARTA — Indonesia will take 30 days to bring smouldering forest fires under control, the national disaster management agency said today (Sept 18), as smog from the fires pushes pollution in South-east Asia to record highs.

Indonesia has faced criticism from neighbours and green groups for not doing enough to prevent the fires, which cause millions of dollars worth of damage to health and the environment every year.

“We expect there will be a potential for haze because of the El Nino effect until the end of November, but we are targeting to put out the majority of the fires by mid-October,” agency spokesman Sutopo Nugroho told Reuters.

The region has suffered for years from annual bouts of smog caused by slash-and-burn practices in Indonesia’s islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan, but governments have failed to tackle the problem.

Malaysia today announced plans to evacuate 173 of its citizens “badly affected by the haze surrounding Riau province” from provincial capital Pekanbaru, using two C-130 Hercules aircraft.

Indonesia has said it was investigating about 100 companies in the latest crackdown to tackle smog worsened by a prolonged dry season.

The rainy season usually begins in November.

Next week, the authorities will name several companies likely to face sanctions for starting fires, including possible withdrawal of licences, Indonesia’s Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar told a news conference today.

On an offer of assistance from Singapore, she said the decision whether to accept help or not is a national decision to be made by President Joko Widodo.

Yesterday, she had reportedly said that her country has declined Singapore’s offer, adding that Indonesia is “still trying to handle it ourselves”.

Singapore’s Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen have reached out to their Indonesian counterparts, offering an assistance package that includes a C-130 aircraft for cloud-seeding operations, a Chinook helicopter with a water bucket for aerial fire-fighting, and up to two C-130 aircraft to ferry the Singapore Civil Defence Force fire-fighting assistance team.
Indonesian Vice-President Jusuf Kalla had earlier been reported as inviting Singapore to help tackle the haze.

“Singapore is ready to help, so I think, please do, because Singapore also knows a natural disaster can occur anywhere,” Mr Kalla reportedly told Indonesian news outlet Liputan6 on Tuesday at his office in Jakarta.

Today, Mr Kalla said that forest fires in Sumatra is part of natural risk that should be accepted by neighbouring countries.

“Neighbouring countries already enjoy 11 months of clean fresh air from Indonesia, thus if they suffer for the haze in a month, that is also a risk,” he told reporters. He also mentioned that the forest burning in Sumatra is part of “natural disaster”. It also happen in the United States in California forest area, he said.

He also said that currently Indonesia is putting effort to extinguish the fire in Sumatra forest.

“It’s a nature problem. We already trying very hard and spent money (to extinguish the fire), we already deploy almost 20 plane extinguisher for that, but it’s difficult (to handle),” he added.

Indonesia has deployed nearly 3,000 troops and 24 aircraft to help fight the fires. AGENCIES

Rain comes, but haze remains
Rizal Harahap and Syamsul Huda M. Suhari, The Jakarta Post 18 Sep 15;

The rain that has poured over several regions across Sumatra and Kalimantan over the last two days has failed to significantly lower the intensity of the haze that has blanketed the fire-scorched parts of the country. Despite the rain, the haze continues to disrupt the activities and movement of local residents, and has disrupted operations at local airports.

“Haze at destination airports, especially in Pekanbaru, Jambi and Medan, has yet to dissipate significantly, and some flights are still being cancelled,” said Suwarso, head of Hang Nadim Batam International Airport’s general affairs division, in Batam on Thursday as quoted by Antara news agency.

The haze that has blanketed Hang Nadim for the past two weeks has caused a total of almost 100 flights to have been cancelled.

Similarly, state-run airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II’s Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport said that airline companies serving routes to Pekanbaru had rescheduled their flights due to haze from forest and land fires in Sumatra.

In Pontianak, students from state-run senior vocational high school SMKN 5 and state-run Islamic senior high school MAN 2 Pontianak were rushed to Anton Soedjarwo Bhayangkara Hospital on Wednesday after falling unconscious while attending classes.

One of the students, Lady Planeta of SMKN 5 Pontianak, said the haze had been relatively thick when they began class at 8 a.m. Some 20 minutes later, the thick haze started to enter the classrooms, causing the students to faint, one after another.

“We complained of sore throats. We coughed and couldn’t breathe, and then we fainted,” said Lady.

In response to the deteriorating situation, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has repeatedly pledged to take stern legal action against all parties, including forest concession owners, deemed responsible for land and forest fires.

In Pekanbaru, PT Langgam Inti Hibrindo (LIH) general manager Frans Katihokang was arrested by Riau Police’s special crimes detective (Reskrimsus) directorate after being grilled for six hours in relation to the fire on the plantation company’s 533 hectare concession in Pangkalan Gondai subdistrict, Langgam, Pelalawan regency.

Apart from PT LIH, some 10 other plantation companies in Riau are also thought to have been involved in, or to have neglected to properly deal with, fires on their respective concessions.

Meanwhile, at least 20 hectares of protected forest in North Dulamayo, Telaga Biru district, Gorontalo have been razed by fire.

“We’ve had difficulties in extinguishing the fire due to strong winds,” Yosef Talawo, a local forest ranger, said on Thursday.

Yosef said his office monitored the movement of the fire, but he and his fellow fire-fighters were under-resourced, under manned and, at present, unable to overcome such a difficult challenge.

Read more!

Malaysian Minister: Unfair to point finger at Malaysia over haze for companies’ wrongdoing

ZUHRIN AZAM AHMAD The Star 19 Sep 15;

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia is disappointed that some parties are blaming the country for causing the haze.

Natural Resources and Environ­ment Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said it was unfair to blame Malaysia for any alleged wrongdoing committed by its companies that were being investigated in connection with forest fires in Indonesia.

“This is just finding fault with us,” he said after chairing a meeting on the haze here yesterday.

He said some parties were holding the country partly responsible for the haze problem just because Malaysian companies were involved in plantation there.

Dr Wan Junaidi was asked to comment on a blog post that had blamed Malaysia for the haze, which is also affecting Singapore and Indonesia.

“If anyone is to be blamed, it should be the companies or individuals responsible for the companies.

“Malaysia, the Government or the ministry cannot be blamed if the companies investing in Indonesia did something wrong,” he said.

It has been reported a Malaysian-owned company is among more than 20 firms being investigated by the Indonesian authorities in connection with forest fires.

“If the company committed an offence, action should be and must be taken against it based on the law there,” Dr Wan Junaidi said.

He also announced that his meeting with his Indonesian counterpart on Sept 25 in Jakarta to discuss measures to tackle transboundary haze had been postponed.

“We are trying to get a new date. The meeting would include talks on a memorandum of understanding by Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Brunei and Thailand on action to be taken if haze recurred,” he said.

M’sia, Indonesia to seek solution to haze issue
The Star 19 Sep 15;

JAKARTA: Malaysia and Indonesia are to come up with a long-term solution to the annual haze from Indonesia that affects countries in the region, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

The details would be worked out by the two countries, he told reporters here.

Dr Ahmad Zahid is on a four-day working visit to Indonesia starting on Thursday.

The haze, reportedly from fires to clear forests for planting crops, has posed a perennial problem for the region.

Dr Ahmad Zahid’s visit to Indonesia is his first official trip abroad since his appointment as the Deputy Prime Minister on July 28.

He held discussions with Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and called on Indonesian Vice-President Jusof Kalla at the Vice-Presidential Palace.

Dr Ahmad Zahid said the meeting with Luhut also touched on the economy and social problems, including the legalisation of Indonesian illegal workers in Malaysia and common border issues.

“I feel the problems that have yet to be discussed and resolved can be settled with the good relations prevailing between the top leaders of Malaysia and Indonesia,” he said. — Bernama


Indonesia Admits Difficulty In Tackling Haze Problem, But Assures It Will Do Its Best
Bernama 18 Sep 15;

JAKARTA, Sept 18 (Bernama) -- Indonesia admitted its difficulty in overcoming the haze problem, but gave the assurance that it would do its best to solve it.

Its Vice President Jusof Kalla said the Indonesian government had done what it could over the haze problem, the effects of which were also felt by its neighbouring countries, Malaysia and Singapore.

"I've always said that this is an environmental problem. We have carried out efforts including deploying 20 helicopters and other aircraft to overcome the problem, but clearly it's difficult. This is because it's the dry season now."

He said this at a news conference after receiving a courtesy call from Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi at his office, here, today.

Jusof said the Malaysian government itself had stated its support, that if there were Malaysian plantation companies, especially in Sumatra, involved in open burning, thus causing the haze, action could be taken against them.

"What is important is doing our best (in tackling the haze problem) but climate change has also contributed to the problem.

"As neighbouring countries, we together enjoy our world and we all bear the consequences of we do wrong (mismanaging the environment). In reality, we (Indonesia) suffer more (from the haze problem)," he said.

On another matter, Jusof said Malaysia and Indonesia as the world's biggest producer of palm oil should be united in facing competition from other edible oils such as soya and sunflower seed oil.

"Malaysia and Indonesia produce 80 per cent of the world's palm oil and we have to face competition from other sources (of edible oil), hence the need for Malaysia and Indonesia to be united in facing this challenge," he said.

On the one-hour meeting with Ahmad Zahid today, Jusof said their discussion focused on better Malaysia-Indonesia relations.

"We also discussed the economy, social issues and regional peace," he said.

-- BERNAMA


Malaysia and Indonesia to come up with long-term solution to haze problem
ADRIAN LAI New Straits Times 18 Sep 15;

JAKARTA: The Malaysian and Indonesian governments will come up with long-term measures to solve the perennial haze problem afflicting both countries, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with several top-level Indonesian officials here today, Zahid said details of the long-term solution to the haze issue would be ironed out by the countries’ relevant ministries.

“I believe the various issues between Malaysia and Indonesia can be solved amicably, thanks to the healthy working relationship between the number one leaders from both countries,” he told reporters at the Vice Presidential Palace here.

Zahid subsequently met with Indonesian vice-president Jusuf Kalla, where both leaders discussed bilateral issues for an hour.

He had earlier met with Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

During the meeting with Luhut, Zahid said, both leaders focused on socio-economic issues affecting both neighbouring countries.

“This includes the plight of Indonesians working illegally in Malaysia. Those who wish to go home can request proper documentation from the Indonesian embassy in Malaysia before doing so,” Zahid, who is also Home Minister, said.

Zahid also said any land boundary disputes between Malaysia and Indonesia would be solved amicably.

Following Zahid’s meeting with Kalla, both leaders proceeded to perform the Friday prayer at the Baiturrahman mosque located within the Vice Presidential Palace.

Read more!