20130623 BBC—Malaysia declares state of emergency over smog in south

20130623 BBC_Malaysia declares state of emergency over smog in south

Smog has become an annual problem in Malaysia, but this is the first time in eight years that a state of emergency has been called, the BBC's Jennifer Pak, in Kuala Lumpur, reports.

People are angry that the authorities have not been able to address the health hazard, our correspondent says.

The smog is being blamed on illegal land-clearing fires burning near the provincial capital Pekanbaru.

Palm-oil firms - some of which are based in Malaysia and Singapore - have been accused of using slash-and-burn techniques to clear space for their plantations.

Environmental group Greenpeace International said its analysis of Nasa data between 11 and 21 June had "revealed hundreds of fire hotspots in palm oil concessions".

Slash-and-burn clearances

• Vegetation is cut down and burned to clear land for cultivation
• Cheaper than using excavators and bulldozers
• Illegal burning of forests to clear land for palm oil plantations is common in Indonesia - particularly in dry season
• Indonesia says it is investigating several palm oil companies

20130618 BBC_Singapore hit by highest haze levels in 16 years

BBC_Singapore hit by highest haze levels in 16 years

Singapore has been hit by severe haze from forest fires in nearby Indonesia, prompting a health alert from the government.

Outdoor physical activity should be avoided, and vulnerable people should stay indoors, the government said.

The haze is expected to last for the next few days, the government added.

In Singapore, the view of many landmarks and buildings was obscured by the haze, and the smell of burnt wood was noticeable in the city.

In a statement on Monday, Singapore's National Environment Agency said winds had brought over the smoke haze from fires in Sumatra, Indonesia.

'Slash-and-burn'

Singapore's Environment Minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said that "for too long, commercial interests in Indonesia have been allowed to override environmental concerns".

However, an Indonesian official said that Singaporean and Malaysian investors also bore some responsibility for the fires, AFP news agency reported.

"The slash-and-burn technique being used is the cheapest land-clearing method and it is not only used by local farmers, but also employees of palm oil investors including Singaporean and Malaysian companies," Hadi Daryanto, an official at Indonesia's Forestry Ministry, said.

"We hope the governments of Malaysia and Singapore will tell their investors to adopt proper measures so we can solve this problem together."

20130621 BBC_Singapore haze hits record high from Indonesia fires

BBC_Singapore haze hits record high from Indonesia fires

Pollution levels soared for a third day in a row in Singapore, as smoky haze from fires in Indonesia shrouded the city state.

The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit 401 at 12:00 on Friday (04:00 GMT) - the highest in Singapore's history.

Indonesia has said it is unfair to blame it solely for the forest fires.

Schools in parts of Malaysia and Indonesia have closed temporarily.

A PSI reading above 300 is defined as "hazardous", while Singapore government guidelines say a PSI reading of above 400 sustained for 24 hours "may be life-threatening to ill and elderly persons".

There are also reports of flight delays affecting both Singapore's Changi airport and Riau province in Indonesia.

The fires are caused by illegal slash-and-burn land clearance in Sumatra, to the west of Singapore.

20130621 BBC_Singapore haze (video)

Pollution levels reached a new record high for a third day in a row in Singapore, as smoky haze from fires in Indonesia shrouded the city state.

The Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) hit 401 at 12:00 on Friday (04:00 GMT) - the highest in Singapore's history.

The index also reached 400 in one part of Indonesia, which is readying helicopters and cloud-seeding equipment in an effort to tackle the fires.

Schools in parts of Malaysia and Indonesia have closed temporarily.
BBC_2013Jun_Singapore haze
BBC_2010Oct_Sumatra fires cause Singapore haze

20130611 Sun——邊境馬草壟六村開放

邊境馬草壟周邊六條鄉村禁區昨起解禁，村民及車輛可以自由進出，有區議員指區內公共交通配套嚴重不足，呼籲市民勿一窩蜂駕車前往，環保團體則擔心區內的原始生態受到破壞，促加強監管做好規劃發展。

開放禁區六村包括馬草壟村、信義新村、料壆村、得月樓村、落馬洲村及下灣村，涉及範圍由落馬洲邊境管制站至梧桐河，土地約七百一十公頃，入口超過一千人，過去數十年對外交通幾近封閉，不少單車發燒友昨入區內先睹為快。

長春社助理公共事務經理吳希文擔心，馬草壟的蠔殼圍附近盡是魚塘及淡水沼澤，保有不少原始生態環境，與新田、米埔及后海灣形成一條濕地走廊，是冬季候鳥包括黑臉琵鷺的過境棲息地。禁區開放後，預計區內會大肆發展和興建丁屋等，過度發展會破壞環境，促請當局嚴格審批及做好保育。

20130610 BBC——Brazil 'on alert' over an oil spill from Ecuador

Brazil is "on alert" over an oil spill that originated in Ecuador and is travelling downstream towards the Brazilian Amazon.

Last month, an estimated 11,480 barrels of oil leaked from a damaged pipeline into the River Coca in Ecuador.

The spill has already reached the Peruvian Amazon region of Loreto.

"Brazil has offered aid to Ecuador and Peru to support the work of containment and dispersion of the oil slick in the two countries."

On 31 May, a landslide damaged the trans-Ecuador pipeline, causing a spill of some 420,000 gallons (1.6m litres) of crude oil.

Some entered the Coca river, a tributary of the Amazon that also flows through Peru and Brazil.

As it travelled downstream, the slick polluted drinking water in Coca, an urban area of about 80,000 people at the confluence of the Coca and Napo rivers in Ecuador.

The spill polluted drinking water supplies

Days later, on 4 June, the authorities in Peru said the spill had reached the Loreto region.

The Peruvian Environment Minister, Manuel Pulgar Vidal, called it a "very serious problem" and said Peru could seek compensation.

He added that the Peruvian navy were helping Ecuador to clean up the spill.

Ecuador's state oil company, Petroecuador, has said it has hired a specialist US firm, Clean Caribbean & Americas, to begin clean-up operations.

20130605 九環保團體斥政府盲目填海拓地危害生態環境

九個環保團體趁今日是世界環保日，促請政府不應將所有房屋問題歸咎於土地短缺，又批評當局抹黑環保團體沒有顧全大局。

對於現屆政府多次強調房屋問題的迫切性，提出在維港以外地方填海，團體批評當局以盲目拓地的方式填海，嚴重危害生態環境，超出生態的可承載力。

綠領行動總幹事何漢威批評，政府現時推動以填海方式得來的五幅土地，只有一幅屬興建房屋用途。

環保觸覺發言人譚凱邦表示，香港人口由現時的7百多萬，增長至2023年的840萬，為有效控制未來房屋需求，政府應周詳制訂人口政策，包括奪回單程證的審批權及限制内地人來港，而非犧牲生態環境。他促請當局以正面積極態度諮詢持分者意見。