ACRES Rescue centre dumped with $1m problem

Sheralyn Tay, Today Online 12 Sep 08;

IT WAS to be a sanctuary for the animals rescued from the wildlife trade, but even as part of the centre opened officially today, more than half the completed Wildlife Rescue Centre remains closed and unusable as the land is contaminated.

“We were just preparing for the opening (around September this year) when we noticed foul smelling and blackish water in the drains,” Mr Louis Ng, founder and executive director of the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) told Today.

Investigations revealed that the water was toxic — due to the tonnes of woodchips and petrochemicals allegedly dumped by Acres’ builder, A.*.A Contractor, on the site.

The backfill — used to level the steep slope of the original site — had decomposed, mixed into the soil and contaminated the groundwater.

It’s a huge blow to the animal welfare group that had spent a better part of two years raising funds to build the sprawling 2-hectare rescue centre.

Fronted by an education centre, volunteer and staff areas, the pride of the rescue centre was to be the 10 or so animal enclosures for turtles, tortoises, primates and other wildlife seized from illegal traders.

A.*.A had claimed that the woodchips had been “accidentally” dumped, said Mr Ng, but a further soil test revealed that the illegal backfill went as deep as 12m in some areas.

Today understands that the National Environment Agency is prosecuting A.*.A for illegal dumping.

Under the Environmental Protection and Management Act, the penalties for discharging toxic substances or hazardous substances into inland waters are a fine of up to $100,000 and a jail term of up to 12 months.

Acres has also initiated a case against A.*.A as the contractor has not removed the woodchips — estimated to cost at least $1 million — and stalling the progress torehabilitate the site.

According to the writ filed by Acres, the contractor had also demanded that the society pay the remaining construction costs of about $150,000, even though the site had not been finished as stipulated under the contract.

Last year, after extended delays by A.*.A, Acres made it sign an agreement to finish works and submit the Temporary Occupation Permit (TOP) by the end of August last year — three months after the original date of completion.

Acres ceased all payments when the contractor did not fulfil its part of the deal, but by then, $500,000 had been paid,according to the writ.

In a way, Mr Ng said, the delay turned out to be a blessing.

“If not, we would have moved in and after we got the TOP, the contractor could have completely washed his hands of us. We would have been left to deal with this on our own.”

As of this month, thedelays have cost Acres more than $10,000 in rent alone, not including the construction fees paid. Acres hopes to reclaim these losses in its civil suit.

Said Mr Ng: “These aredonations and interest-free loans from our donors and it’s only right to seek redress for the loss of these funds.”

Despite the huge blow , he remains optimistic.

“If it were easy, someone else would have done it by now,” he said. With a partial-TOP for the front portion of the rescue centre, which has not been contaminated, Acres can still conduct workshops and educational sessions forrevenue. “Our work will still go on,” said Mr Ng.

Acres is now appealing to other construction companies to help in the excavation and rebuilding works, reported Channel NewsAsia.

It hopes to open the Reco-very and Rehabilitation Centre soon, following further talks with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority.

The opening of the Animal Sanctuary, which needs to be torn down, is delayed for at least another six months.

Wildlife centre cries foul over rot and stink
Acres files writ against contractor for allegedly causing land, building woes
Shobana Kesava & April Chong, Straits Times 12 Sep 08;

A PINK wooden pig with wings beams down on visitors to the wildlife rescue centre belonging to the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) in Sungei Tengah.

But the non-profit group has little to smile about.

Its 2ha premises was to have opened in April last year with an education centre, office and living quarters for staff and for the endangered animals smuggled into Singapore and rescued by the society.

But Acres is now mired in problems allegedly caused by its building contractor's work methods.

The heavy rain from September last year brought with it the reek of rotten eggs, and the groundwater pouring into the drains in the area turned black.

Mr Kenny Yap, the boss of Qian Hu fish farm next door, said: 'Our place is open to the public, and the smell has affected our visitors.'

Acres executive director Louis Ng said the fouling of the air and water has been traced to woodchips - lorry loads of it that were poured into a 100m stretch on Acres' land to level it. The stuff is 12m deep in some spots.

Those woodchips are now rotting.

Pollution problems aside, Acres is now dealing with having to demolish the new animal enclosures because of questions over the stability of the land.

The land will have to be excavated and levelled once again.

After 20 months of wrangling with A.N.A. Contractor, Acres this week accepted the handover of only a few buildings on the site, including the education centre and staff quarters.

On Wednesday evening, Acres issued a writ to claim damages from A.N.A. and its director, Mr Tan Boon Kwee.

Contacted by The Straits Times, Mr Tan declined comment, and said his lawyers would handle the matter.

Next door, where Qian Hu is excavating to create new fish ponds, work has stopped near its boundary with Acres' land because of fears over the stability of the soil. The land slopes downward into Qian Hu's premises, so 'we are worried landslides might harm people on our side. There's no buffer', said Mr Yap.

He added that there had been night activities on Acres' land, and no one knew what was being dumped there.

Associate Professor Chiew Sing Ping of the Nanyang Technological University, a civil and environmental engineering expert, said that woodchip decomposition would likely cause the land to sink.

'I have never heard of woodchips being used as backfill,' he said.

Meanwhile, the National Environment Agency has taken A.N.A. Contractor to task for polluting the area's water courses - the drains leading to the Kranji Reservoir - with what it called 'highly organic discharge'.

A court judgment is pending.

Mr Ng said he now pays $1,000 a month for waste collectors to redirect the stinking groundwater into a holding tank.

He is also not waiting for A.N.A. to remove the woodchips and has called for tenders from other builders.

Although the animal enclosures will not be ready for a while, Acres will push ahead with its public education programmes this month. The centre will have a partial opening today.

Mr Ng, undaunted by his problems, is holding fast to his dream of opening the wildlife rescue centre. He said: 'Donors have already entrusted Acres with $500,000 for this work, and we will work tirelessly to rectify the problems that have arisen.

'It would be easy to give up but what good would that do? This pig will fly.'

ACRES takes legal action against wildlife centre contractor
Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia 11 Sep 08;

SINGAPORE: Work has halted at Singapore's first Wildlife Rescue Centre. Managed by the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (ACRES), the centre is now embroiled in an environmental pollution lawsuit.

At the heart of the case is the contractor engaged to construct the wildlife centre. It is alleged that A.N.A Contractor Pte Ltd had dumped woodchips onto the site, leading to the discharge of wastewater into the watercourse linked to Kranji Reservoir.

The discharge originates from a site located at Jalan Lekar – in the North-Western part of Singapore – that is meant to house rescued wildlife.

In its writ of summons to A.N.A Contractor and its director, Mr Tan Boon Kwee, who was the clerk of works for the rescue centre project, ACRES alleged that the toxic discharge is the result of A.N.A burying woodchips on the site.

Subsequent tests by environmental consultants, using boreholes dug up to 13 metres underground, showed that contaminants in the ground water included petroleum hydrocarbons and volatile organic compounds.

ACRES will be claiming damages and losses as a result of the actions of A.N.A Contractor and its director.

In a statement to Channel NewsAsia, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said its officers found that the discharge contained high organic content. Its investigation also revealed that ACRES' contractor had used woodchips for the earth works at the site.

NEA has initiated prosecution against A.N.A Contractor, under the Environmental Protection and Management Act, for causing discharge of water with high organic content.

Under the Act, the penalties for discharging toxic substances or hazardous substances into inland waters are a fine of up to S$100,000 and a jail term of up to 12 months. NEA said the prosecution action is still pending the court's judgement.

It added that although woodchips do not contain any toxic chemical or hydrocarbon, it can discharge water with high organic content when it decays. But like any decayed or dried wood, when the decay is complete, the woodchips will no longer give rise to any discharge of high organic content waste water.

As for the hydrocarbons found present in the ground water by environmental consultant ENVIRONcorp, NEA said it is not unusual for hydrocarbons to be present in trace levels in the soil.

The agency added that it is monitoring the site and there has been no such further discharge into the watercourse.

Louis Ng, executive director, ACRES, said: "It's been a long and tiring journey for us and we look forward to ACRES Wildlife Rescue Centre becoming a landmark facility for the protection of animals. But at the same time, we will work tirelessly to rectify all these problems that have arisen.

"These setbacks have not dampened our spirit, our passion and determination to make a difference, and we will learn from this setback. We'll move forward, we'll stay positive and we'll definitely become stronger."

ACRES is now appealing to other construction companies to help in the excavation and rebuilding works. Notwithstanding the delay, it said it would open the front portion of the centre, which includes the Volunteer House, Education Centre and Administrative Building, on Friday.

The Recovery and Rehabilitation Centre will open soon, following further talks with the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority. The opening of the Animal Sanctuary, which needs to be torn down, is delayed for at least another six months.

To date, the work of ACRES has led to the rescue of more than 200 wild animals. ACRES has also conducted more than 280 roadshows and talks in Singapore to create awareness on animal protection issues.- CNA/so

More about Acres on their website