20150915 BBC_What causes South East Asia's haze?

Forest fires in Indonesia have resulted in a smoky haze that is blanketing the region and affecting neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.

The BBC explains what causes the haze, and what makes it such a contentious issue.

What's causing the haze?

Both the haze and the controversy around it have intensified in recent years.

Every year Indonesia sees agriculture fires in Riau province in East Sumatra, South Sumatra, and parts of Kalimantan.

Image copyrightNASA EOSDIS

Image captionNasa satellite data shows multiple fires in mid-September 2015 in the eastern part of Sumatra island and the southern part of Kalimantan island of Indonesia

The fires are said to be caused by corporations in the palm oil, pulp and paper industries, as well as small-scale farmers who use the illegal slash-and-burn method to clear vegetation.

The fires often spin out of control and spread into protected forested areas.

The problem has only accelerated as the cleared land becomes drier, which in turn becomes more highly likely to catch fire the next time round.

Why is it an issue?

The haze gets blown north and westwards across affected Indonesian provinces, as well as towards Malaysia and Singapore, causing a significant deterioration in air quality.

Image copyrightAP

Image captionThe haze has blanketed many parts of Malaysia including the centre of government Putrajaya...

Image copyrightReuters

Image caption...and the whole of Singapore, affecting key tourist attractions like Gardens by the Bay

It can be a health hazard, and at its peak it has prompted school closures, flight cancellations and virtual shutdowns of towns and cities.

Singapore and Indonesia use the Pollutants Standards Index (PSI) to measure air quality, while Malaysia uses the similar Air Pollutants Index (API). On both indices, a reading that is above 100 is classified as unhealthy and anything above 300 is hazardous.

Indonesia recently declared a state of emergency in Riau province - one of its towns, Pekanbaru, saw a PSI reading of 984.

Malaysia declared a state of emergency in 2013, when a southern district saw readings of more than 750 API.

What makes it so dangerous?

Besides irritating the respiratory tract and the eyes, pollutants in the haze can cause serious long-term damage to health.

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionFace masks have become a common sight in the region

The indices used to measure air quality in the region usually measure particulate matter (PM10), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone.

PM2.5 is considered the most dangerous as it can enter deeper into the lungs. It has been associated with causing respiratory illnesses and lung damage.

Image copyrightReuters

Image captionAuthorities in Singapore have encouraged residents to use special masks that can filter out PM2.5

What is being done to stop it?

Indonesia has been dumping millions of litres of water in affected areas and has sent in the army to help firefighters put out the fires.

Indonesia and Malaysia have also conducted cloud-seeding to induce rain, while Singapore has pledged assistance to help put out fires.

Image copyrightEPA

Image captionHelicopters in Indonesia have been water bombing areas with fires

Indonesia has for years promised to step up enforcement. Under President Joko Widodo, it has named 10 corporations as suspects, and said it is investigating more than 100 individuals.

In 2002, all 10 South East Asian countries signed an agreement to combat the issue through greater monitoring and encouragement of sustainable development, but efforts have been limited.

Why has it been so difficult to stop?

Indonesia has long struggled to police the vast rural expanse in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

Image copyrightReuters

But Indonesia and environment rights activists also say it is not entirely to blame, as some of the corporations accused of illegal burning have Malaysian and Singaporean investors.

Singapore in 2014 passed a set of laws that allow it to prosecute individuals and companies that contribute to the haze, but it remains unclear how this law could be enforced.

There have also been name-and-shame campaigns and calls to boycott the products of the companies said to be contributing to the haze.

Image copyrightAFP

Image captionDousing out a peat fire is difficult as it can burn underground, and requires swamping the entire area with vast amounts of water

In the meantime Indonesian authorities continue to struggle to put out the fires, many of which have flared up on flammable and dry peat-rich areas.

A peat fire is difficult to put out as it can burn underground for months, and requires a lot of water to extinguish. Fires can spread underground and spring up in other places later.http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34265922

20150916 Telegraph_Volcano Mount Sinabung in Sumatra, Indonesia erupts spewing lava and ash

Slideshow:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/picturegalleries/worldnews/10551746/Volcano-Mount-Sinabung-in-Sumatra-Indonesia-erupts-spewing-lava-and-ash.html

20150816 BBC_Montserrat: Living with a volcano

Image copyrightJanet Edwards

Image captionSoufriere Hills erupted 75 times in a single month in 1997 and is still one of the most active volcanoes in the world

There is little danger of being late for lunch in Montserrat.

At 12:00 sharp every day, the mournful wail of the tiny island's volcano sirens cut through the air like a knife.

The ominous soundtrack to life in this British overseas territory can be heard across inhabited parts of its 100 sq km (39 sq miles).

Residents know if the sirens blare at any moment but noon, it's time to run - fast.

Image copyrightJanet Edwards

Image captionVolcano sirens such as this one are tested daily at noon

Taunting in its perpetuity is the steam and bluish haze of sulphur dioxide emitted from the slumbering monster in the south, whose constant threat pervades the atmosphere like a viscous liquid.

Incessant activity

This is the reality for those living in the shadow of Soufriere Hills.

Last month, Montserratians marked 20 years since the start of the volcanic crisis which has rendered two-thirds of the island an exclusion zone, turned the capital city into an apocalyptic movie scene deep in ash and changed life here forever.

Image copyrightGemma Handy

Image captionTwo-thirds of the island remains within an exclusion zone

Few imagined when a vent in the volcano - dormant for several hundred years - began smoking on 18 July 1995 that it would awaken with such a vengeance.

Or that its incessant activity, rather than the sudden brief explosions favoured by Hollywood, would continue to this day.

Back in the early 90s, Montserrat's future looked bright.

A mammoth cleanup after devastating Hurricane Hugo in 1989 had seen the construction of much modern infrastructure and the territory was experiencing unprecedented prosperity.

There was even talk of independence from Britain.

Fiery spectacle

When the hills first started to emit their brilliant white steam, islanders say it was mesmerising and exciting. People would gather in the evenings to watch the fiery incandescence in awe.

It was 14 months before the first eruption took place in September 1996, sweeping away the villages of St Patrick's and Morris in less than 20 minutes.

Image copyrightGetty Images

Image captionWhole villages were buried under ash or destroyed by lava flows

Image copyrightGetty Images

Image captionA photo from 20 August 1997 shows how lava flows from the volcano covered large areas

That year, the capital Plymouth was evacuated for the final time - abandoned to become slowly buried under repeated mudflows - and a state of emergency declared.

Today, Soufriere remains one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

The population has plummeted from 11,500 to 5,000 with the south of the island divided into five zones.

Permission to access them is dependent on the current hazard level.

Strong bonds

Over the years, businesses have rebuilt in the north, municipal offices have relocated to Brades and the government has created new housing at Lookout, Davy Hill, Shinlands, Drummonds and Sweeneys.

Image copyrightJanet Edwards

Image captionThe government has built new housing in Lookout in the north-east of the island

Despite the gases and ash falls - which occasionally reach as far as Antigua - Montserrat's stoic inhabitants largely go about their business unperturbed, refusing to be defined as living on the precipice of peril.

Tourists are politely told that "Montserrat is not a volcano; it has a volcano" and assured that the north remains entirely safe, with Soufriere under round-the-clock monitoring by a purpose-built observatory.

As is often the way in the aftermath of disaster, the close-knit community has forged stronger bonds than ever.

Crime is a rarity, front doors are unlocked, songs of hope and healing, solidarity and unity, are ubiquitous.

Image copyrightGemma Handy

Image captionThe island's distinctive "black sand" beaches get their colour from minuscule pieces of lava

These days, the "emerald isle" is carving a niche for itself in adventure tourism with holidaymakers attracted to its "black sand" beaches and the allure of experiencing a modern-day Pompeii.

Future plans

In the ruined Montserrat Springs hotel - once one of the island's finest - visitors can scrabble through the ash into the reception where paperwork still sits on the desk and into bedrooms where curtains hang against wrecked walls.

Image copyrightGemma Handy

Image captionMontserrat Springs hotel was once the jewel in the island's tourism crown

Image copyrightGemma Handy

Image captionAsh still covers the inside of the rooms

Image copyrightGemma Handy

Image captionVegetation has taken hold in some of the formerly elegant rooms

From the side of the ravaged swimming pool, Plymouth is visible just east of a huge fissure which appears in the desolate landscape like a jaw wide open in astonishment.

Veronica Hickson's house is one of the few in Plymouth that's not completely buried.

She recalls the evacuation order that came on 3 April 1996. "I've been back since to see my house," she says. "It's sad but we have to continue our lives."

Image copyrightJanet Edwards

Image captionThe ravaged former capital of Plymouth is visible on the horizon

In addition to tourism, hope for the future lies in geothermal energy exploration and the exportation of volcanic sand for construction.

Islanders are keen to reduce reliance on Britain for financial help - £420m ($655m) since 1995.

Former Governor Frank Savage, who presided over affairs from 1993 to 1997, recently paid tribute to the "stoicism" of Montserratians and their "indomitable spirit" which he said would lead to ever greater recovery.

New Governor Elizabeth Carriere, who takes up position this month, agrees. "Montserrat's future lies in the hands of its most valuable resource: its people," she said.

"I will work with the island's government to realise a safe, sustainable and prosperous Montserrat."

Ms Carriere added: "Better sea links, tapping opportunity for geothermal energy and improving technological links to the wider world all have a part to play."

20150829 BBC_Kilauea volcano spews out molten lava in Hawaii

Lava from a volcano on Hawaii's Big Island has been spewing out of a newly formed opening.

The Kilauea volcano is one of the most active in the world, and has been erupting non-stop for 32 years.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-34095045

20150917 BBC_Japanese volcano Mount Aso erupts unexpectedly

A volcano on Japan's main southern island of Kyushu has erupted, sending clouds of black smoke and ash into the air.

Mount Aso, which is a popular tourist spot, is one of the most active volcanoes in the country.

Officials said that there were no reports of any injuries.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-34241863

20150606 BBC_Malaysia mountain quake: Two dead as survivors attempt to descend

The aftermath of the quake near Mount Kinabalu was captured on camera

Two people have died and more than 100 have been left stranded after an earthquake near Malaysia's highest peak, officials say.

The bodies of a local guide and a 12-year-old Singaporean girl were recovered from Mount Kinabalu, on the island of Borneo, local media say.

The 6.0 magnitude earthquake triggered landslides, trapping 137 climbers on the mountain.

Many have been trying to descend with the help of park rangers and guides.

Police chief Jalaluddin Abdul Rahman confirmed the two fatalities but would not give any further details.

Initial attempts to rescue the survivors, some of whom are trapped under rocks, had to be abandoned because of bad weather. Helicopters were unable to land and the climbing route was made dangerous by rocks and boulders.

Several of those injured have successfully made it down and many more are expected to reach base camp by Saturday morning, according to Sabah Parks director Jamili Nais.

The earthquake was so powerful it also snapped off one of Mount Kinabalu's "Donkey's Ear" peaks.

The tourism minister for Sabah state said that 32 guides were assisting the climbers on their way down, with the group moving "cautiously due to (a) damaged trail".

"Other than ongoing rescue efforts, our priority is to send food, drinks and warm clothing to those still stranded on the mountain," he said.

Some of the group had climbed to the summit to watch the sunrise as the earthquake struck.

One Facebook user posted this picture, apparently showing her group stranded

Mount Kinabalu, which stands at 4,095m (13,435ft), is popular with climbers

The US Geological Survey said the quake happened at around 07:15 local time (00:15 BST), at a depth of 10km (32,800ft). The epicentre was 54km (33 miles) from Mount Kinabalu, which stands at 4,095m.

Many climbers are attracted to the challenging "via ferrata" climbing route, where cables, metal rungs and bridges are set into the rocks on the steep terrain to help people ascend.

All activity on the mountain has now been suspended.

Climbing Mt Kinabalu

• Climbing up and down Mt Kinabalu takes on average two days and one night. There are two trails - the Summit trail and the more advanced Mesilau trail
• The Summit trail begins at Timpohon Gate (1,800m; 5,906 ft)
• It takes about 6-8 hours to reach Laban Rata (3,273m; 10,738 ft) where climbers rest for a few hours
• They usually depart for the summit at 02:00 in the morning, reaching it 4-5 hours later before descending the mountain

The 'conquerable' Mt Kinabalu

Earlier, one person apparently trapped on the mountainside said on Facebook:"Currently we're waiting for the helicopter to save us.

"We cannot go down for now because there are lots of stones falling, there's no safe route down, and there are still tremors. Thank you for all your concern and prayers."

The woman identified herself as Charlene Dmp.

The quake also damaged roads and buildings, including schools and a hospital on Sabah's west coast.