[*StarDust*]

Haze from Indonesia heading for S'pore
By Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Indonesian Correspondent

JAKARTA: Haze from forest fires in Indonesia's Riau islands is blowing towards Singapore, and the number of hot spots is rising although the situation is still far from the worst days of 2006.

There were 59 fires burning in Riau yesterday, up from 35 a day earlier, when the province's main airport was shut for about 1-1/2 hours because of poor visibility and four flights were diverted.

'Today, we are safe as the wind is blowing away the haze,' said an officer at the Sultan Syarif QasimII International Airport in Pekanbaru yesterday.

In Sumatra, there were 160 hot spots yesterday. Most of them - 62 - were in Aceh, a fraction of the 8,000 hot spots recorded in 2006 during Singapore's worst haze period in recent years.

No haze was reported in the seaports of Sumatra yesterday, according to a public relations officer at the Indonesian state port operator PT Pelindo II, which runs seaports in Jambi, Bengkulu, Lampung, Palembang, and Padang.

'We are fine. No disturbance,' said the officer, who declined to be identified.

The fires in Sumatra started after the government lifted a year-long moratorium on the use of peatland forests by palm oil companies, angering environmental groups which say the decision will contribute to global warming.

The Jakarta government will start issuing permits, which have been withheld since December 2007, immediately in areas that meet certain criteria, said Mr Ahmad Manggabarani, Indonesia's director- general of plantation crops at the agriculture ministry.

But the ministry said it has set stricter rules for awarding new permits.

'It will need tight control and monitoring to ensure that plantations on peatlands are well managed,' said Agriculture Minister Anton Apriyantono.

The ministry estimates that two million hectares out of 25 million hectares of peatland are eligible for oil palm plantations.

Indonesia is the third-highest emitter of carbon dioxide in the world, behind China and the United States.

Mr Ahmad said the decision to start re-issuing permits was to increase production of palm oil, which is used for cooking, cosmetics and as a biofuel. Indonesia is the world's top producer of palm oil.

'We are disappointed,' said Mr Bustar Maitar, a Greenpeace South-east Asia forest campaigner. 'We had hoped after a year, the freeze would be permanent.'

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking...ry_340316.html

[Shi Yuen]

sigh.
indonesia is such a stupid country. hey, u can burn ur stuff but can you keep your haze to yourself too?

[Kisuke]

jialat liao..my incamp training coming soon. With the haze coming hor, also don't know
can breathe or not leh.

[christmas_]

walau this year haze come so early sia...usually is july august september then come

[wcong]

dont just say indon la, wells, heres a news release from SCDF

Wednesday, 18 February 2009
Two Separate Bush Fires Atop A Hill At Bukit Batok

Over the last two days, the SCDF was activated to two bush fire incidents in a forested area along Bukit Batok West Avenue 3. The fires broke out atop a hill, which sits on land about the size of five football fields.

The first fire broke out at around 4.45pm on Monday, 16th February 2009. The fire involved two different spots, each the size of about half a basketball court. Some fifty personnel were deployed for fire fighting operations. Fire fighters remained at the scene until 9.35am the following day to ensure all remaining pockets of fire are fully extinguished and new fires created by strong winds atop the hill are extinguished.

At about 1pm yesterday, the SCDF was activated to another bush fire incident in the same forested area. Fire fighters took about 45 minutes to climb a distance of about 100 meters on the steep and thick undergrowth using ladders to gain access to the fire. Fire-fighters found four pockets of bushes and foliage on fire, each about the size of two basketball courts. The fire was located 40 meters diagonally to the lower right of the previous fire.

Strong wind conditions were encountered at the site, which fanned the fires and caused embers to reignite. Thick foliage at the scene also hindered the movement of the fire-fighters as they tried to penetrate the area. The fire-fighters had to cut through dense vegetation and the undulating terrain, clambering up a steep slope, which in some parts has an inclination of 70-degrees to a height of between 50m and 60m. A total of four fire engines, three Light Fire Attack Vehicles (LFAV) and five support appliances were dispatched to the scene. 100 fire-fighters were deployed into four sections to surround and contain the fire.

As at 5pm today, the SCDF is currently deploying 60 personnel at the incident site to ensure no rekindling of the fire fanned by the strong wind conditions.

Members of public can help to prevent vegetation fires in an open fields and vacant lands by observing the following:

a. Do not throw lighted materials such as lighted cigarette butts and matches onto grass patches/fields and rubbish dumps;

b. Do not dispose rubbish/discarded materials/items at grass areas/fields/gardens. Rubbish dumps provide sources of fuel to sustain fires;

c. Home owners with grass compounds should keep grass trimmed and watered. Dead leaves should be properly disposed of;

d. Incense papers should be burnt in incense burners such as those provided for by the Town Councils. These burners should be placed on flat open ground at a safe distance from combustible materials and electrical sources (eg. switch room). After the prayer session, one should check around for smouldering incense in the vicinity and ensure that it is completely extinguished.

[Emolisher]

Originally Posted by Kisuke

jialat liao..my incamp training coming soon. With the haze coming hor, also don't know
can breathe or not leh.

More haze = no outfield activity

[Argurios]

jia lat.. Singapore gonna be covered by haze again!

[PinkLady]

i dun our 'kind' neighbours for doing this to us everyyear. walau they r so selfish

[cheris]

haiis it so hot everyday already plus the haze .... i cant breathe rahhh

[Kazenouta]

ooooo it's that time of the year again... brace it people -.-

[mint90]

yea its super hot this few days no rain haha

[JuzPhil]

Finally rained this morning.. however in the evening somehow can smell burnt smoky smell...

[babychemistz]

Well its the weather too.. Due to humid and warm weather..
Its getting really warm these days..

[Bry_n]

damm this fires frm indo..they are owaz giving us hell of a day..its so hot !!

[broylim]

i was wishing it to rain more these few days because the grass all like dying like this... very disturbing... -_-"

[princess-selina]

Haze is coming again . a little troublesome if the haze problem didn't stop . many activities will be cancelled ....