Best of our wild blogs: 30 Jun 10

First trip to Terumbu Pempang Darat
from wild shores of singapore

Sunda Pygmy Woodpecker catches a larva
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Bad news from Cat Tien
from Rhinomania

Raffles Museum Treasures: Binturong
from Lazy Lizard's Tales

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Energy self-sufficiency not possible: MM

Business Times 30 Jun 10;

(SINGAPORE) Singapore could well achieve self-sufficiency in water by 2061, but energy self-sufficiency is not possible, said Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew yesterday.

'There's no chance of that,' said Mr Lee, who was speaking at a dialogue session held as part of the ongoing World Cities Summit and Singapore International Water Week. He was responding to a question about whether Singapore could become energy independent eventually.

Right now, Singapore uses natural gas to generate 80 per cent of its electricity, with the bulk of it coming from Indonesia. Recent media reports have said that Indonesia wants to renegotiate the terms of its natural gas supply contract with Singapore.

Yesterday, Mr Lee said that Singapore's 'neighbours' are thinking of upping the price of gas exports despite a contract being in place. To ensure a steady supply, Singapore is building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal and will buy and store gas from Qatar.

Singapore is also looking at generating more electricity from renewable resources but faces obstacles, Mr Lee said.

Using wind power, he said, is 'out'. And while using solar power is possible, it is not economical at the moment to buy solar panels for use on a large scale, he said.

Nuclear energy, on the other hand, could destroy the whole island if something goes wrong, Mr Lee said.

He added jokingly: 'We are tossing around the idea of buying a submarine nuclear generator which we can put on a floating platform, and if it leaks, we take it out into the Pacific (Ocean).'

Answering a question on the most difficult problem he faced while transforming Singapore from a Third World to a First World city, Mr Lee said the key challenge was getting people to support the government's policies.

When Singapore first attained independence, it was a 'very untidy city, with litter, filth, people urinating on the streets,' he said.

'To stop all that, to have a litter- free country and no vandalism and no graffiti, you need discipline,' Mr Lee said.

'We had graffiti experts from England and Switzerland who came here to try to break our laws. Well, we caught one of them and he has to pay the penalty. It's harsh, but that is the way to keep it as it is,' he said, drawing some laughs from the audience.

Singapore to buy natural gas from Qatar
Rachel Chang Straits Times 30 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE will be importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar and storing it at a facility currently under construction on Jurong Island.

Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew confirmed the country's plans to diversify its gas import sources, currently dominated by Malaysia and Indonesia, during a dialogue session yesterday.

The partnership with Qatar, the world's biggest natural gas producer, comes amid uncertainties with the current suppliers, said Mr Lee.

'We are buying gas from our neighbours; they are thinking of upping the price in spite of the contract,' he said, speaking to an audience of 700 senior officials and delegates in town for the Singapore International Water Week and the World Cities Summit.

Earlier this month, Indonesian government officials, citing their country's domestic needs, announced a decision to renegotiate Indonesia's gas export contracts with Singapore.

The contracts in place expire in 2021. It is unclear if their terms allow for a renegotiation in price.

Mr Lee's remarks affirm speculation of a Singapore-Qatar partnership, which began last November when the Gulf emirate's Qatar Petroleum International bought into the Petrochemical Corporation of Singapore.

The $1.5 billion LNG terminal on Jurong Island, due to be completed in 2013, will be able to store more than six million tonnes of LNG per annum.

Mr Lee gave a characteristically blunt assessment of Singapore's energy needs during the half hour session, saying that 'there's no chance' of Singapore being energy-independent.

'Wind is out,' he said, but 'solar is possible'. With the present state of technology, however, blanketing Singapore with solar panels in the manner some Chinese cities have experimented with would not make economic sense, he said.

'I admire China's solar panels,' said Mr Lee, in response to a question posed by a Chinese official. 'I sent a note down to our environment ministry and said, why not buy solar panels from China?'

He was told that China was heavily subsidising its production and installation of solar panels, because 'they are determined to lead the world in research and development of solar technology'.

Without the subsidies, however, the panels were an uneconomic purchase. 'Singapore is a small country, we always calculate costs and benefits. So we are waiting for your solar panels to get cheaper before buying them,' he said with a laugh.

Another possibility the Government is 'tossing around' is a small nuclear generator on a floating platform out at sea, Mr Lee said.

He was responding to a New Zealander delegate who had asked if he saw a nuclear-free world as a possibility.

Mr Lee said it was a possibility for New Zealand, which was 'especially favoured' with sources of renewable energy like powerful winds and tides.

But for Singapore, which was 'not so lucky', all options had to be explored, he said.

'Discipline got S'pore into the First World': MM
Zakir Hussain Straits Times 30 Jun 10;

LAUGHTER rippled around a ballroom last night as Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew drew on a recent security breach at an MRT train depot to illustrate how Singapore keeps itself free of litter, vandalism and graffiti.

'We had graffiti experts from Switzerland and from England who came here to show that they can break our laws,' he said to chuckles at a dialogue with delegates at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.

'Well, we caught one of them and he has to pay the penalty.

'It's harsh, but that's the way to keep it as it is,' he replied to a question from a visiting don.

Swiss national Oliver Fricker, an IT consultant working in Singapore, was convicted last Friday of breaking into

SMRT's Changi depot last month and spray-painting a train.

He was sentenced to five months' jail and three strokes of the cane.

His accomplice, Briton Dane Alexander Lloyd, is still at large.

The question posed to MM Lee came from water management expert Asit Biswas, a visiting professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School (LKY School) of Public Policy.

He had asked the Minister Mentor what his most difficult problem was in taking Singapore from Third World to First World and how he solved it.

Mr Lee said: 'The problem is to get your people to support the policies which you have implemented.

'The technology is there, you can buy it, you can do it yourself, but if your people do not cooperate and fit into the First World structure, it will not succeed.

'It depends on the amount of discipline they are prepared to observe.'

He noted that Singapore used to be a very untidy city, with 'litter, filth, people urinating in the streets'.

'To stop all that, to have a litter-free city and no vandalism, no graffiti, you need discipline.'

Earlier, LKY School dean Kishore Mahbubani, who chaired the dialogue, asked Mr Lee what the key policies were that made Singapore a developed country.

Mr Lee said he set out to create a First World oasis in a Third World region.

Building infrastructure was not as difficult as changing behaviour, he added.

'When you move people from a shanty where they have a hole in the ground for a toilet, to a high-rise with a toilet and a flush, it takes some time to get them not to bring their chickens and ducks with them,' he said.

'But we succeeded, partly by education through their children, TV, exhortations from the leaders and they knew that unless we behave like a First World nation... we would perish,' he added.

But the most difficult thing, he said, was to industrialise without polluting the island.

Careful attention to the environment, growth in industry, services and logistics, and a resilient population which responded to the challenge of the day got Singapore to where it is today, he added.

MM Lee on
Straits Times 30 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE'S WATER STRATEGY

'Let me explain what we do to conserve every drop of rain from the sky.

'First, we sewered up the whole island so that no sullage water, no industrial water goes into the rivers or into the drains.

'Second, we made sure that our pipes underground carrying water do not leak - the average leakage is 8 to 10 per cent. We found a way to put in something like a stent - you push it in to expand it, and it blocks the leakage without having you get down the sewer.

'So first, save your water. Next, don't pollute it. Third, collect it. Fourth, reclaim it.

'You can reclaim your water, it costs half the price of desalinating the water with membrane technology.

'The day we became separate from Malaysia, we knew one day they would squeeze us. We set out systematically to exploit every drop of water from the sky. So today, three quarters of the island is a catchment. By the next decade, the whole island will be a catchment.'

WHAT NEXT FOR SINGAPORE?

'I'm not able to tell you what technologies will be discovered; what the opportunities are that will come our way. If you had asked me 50 years ago, could I have imagined today's Singapore, I would have said no.

'We only had a rolling plan, every five years... We started as a seaport, we had an advantage as the point you must pass between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific. (We also became an airport) When the aeroplanes came, they could stop at any place. In fact Bangkok would have been a better place. But we have maintained our hub status, to be a better airport than in any part of the world.

'How would I see this place 10 years from now - you got to ask the present generation. They know better. I'm in my 80s and not very good at high tech, and that is what is going to change the world.'

Read more!

Sewage helps Singapore shake off water shackles

Martin Abbugao Yahoo News 29 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE (AFP) – When Singapore said it would not renew a water-supply pact with Malaysia the news hardly caused a ripple in a nation where technology is now flowing through the taps.

In the past, the idea would have seemed dangerous in a resource-starved island that bought almost all its water from its bigger neighbour.

But with Singapore steadily approaching self-sufficiency and exporting technology to recycle sewage into drinking water, there is a growing sense of confidence that it is less vulnerable to Malaysian water pressure.

"This could mean that the Singapore public is no longer as exercised by water security," the pro-government Straits Times said in an editorial after the April announcement.

"Gradually shedding dependence on Malaysia is high on Singaporeans' wish list, if only to eliminate a source of neighbourly conflict."

Singapore has two accords to buy raw water from Malaysia, which evicted the island from a federation in 1965. The first will expire next year -- and will not be renewed -- and the second will lapse in 2061.

Singapore is confident that by then it will be able to supply all of its water needs if necessary -- a major boost to its strategic security.

"Because of our sustained efforts, we have come a long way in water self-sufficiency," said former prime minister Goh Chok Tong.

Cutting dependence on Malaysian water would help ease tensions because "whenever there were serious bilateral disagreements, some Malaysian politicians would use water as leverage to pressure us to compromise in their favour," he said.

Technology has played a vital role in Singapore's dramatic success in turning a weakness into an opportunity to not only become self-sufficient in water but make billions exporting the technology as well.

The city-state is currently hosting the annual Singapore International Water Week, which gathers the world's top experts on the subject.

"Water, the foundation of life, is at the heart of a daily crisis faced by millions of the world's people," said Noeleen Heyzer, executive secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific.

She told the conference about 1.1 billion people worldwide have no access to clean water and more than two billion lack basic access to sanitation.

In May, Singapore opened its biggest and most advanced plant that purifies used water until it is fit for humans to drink and for use in factories.

Water flushed from toilets and kitchen sinks is pushed through a series of membranes to remove impurities, producing an end product branded as NEWater that used to be ridiculed but is now widely accepted by the public.

The latest NEWater plant, built by state-linked SembCorp Industries and the fifth such facility in Singapore, can produce 228,000 cubic metres (50 million gallons) of ultra-clean water per day.

This is enough to fill 90 Olympic-size swimming pools, said the Public Utilities Board (PUB), the national water agency.

NEWater now accounts for 30 percent of the country's total water needs, and this is expected to rise to 50 percent by 2060, PUB said.

Desalinated water -- costlier to produce than reclaimed waste water -- now provides 10 percent of Singapore's needs, while local catchments and imported water from Malaysia account for the rest.

By 2060, desalinated water should account for up to 30 percent of water needs, PUB added.

SembCorp's facility is part of the sprawling Changi Water Reclamation Plant complex, capable of treating 800,000 cubic metres (176 million gallons) of used water before it is either flushed into the sea or further purified as NEWater.

A 48-kilometre (30-mile) underground tunnel that runs from Kranji in the city's northern suburbs feeds used water to the Changi reclamation plant on the eastern coast. The mega sewer is buried 20-50 metres underground.

Singapore has a separate system, including 7,000 kilometres (4,340 miles) of drainage, that directs rainwater into reservoirs.

At the Changi water reclamation complex a lift takes staff to a cavernous pump room deep below the surface, where powerful machines push the water to elaborate facilities on the ground level for treatment.

Yet there are no tell-tale signs, not even a faint smell, betraying the fact that the facility is a massive receptacle for dirty water flushed daily by the city's nearly five million residents.

"People are surprised that this is actually a water treatment facility. They don't really know what's underneath," Yong Wei Hin, an assistant director at the water reclamation plant, told AFP during a recent visit.

When Singapore hosted an Asia-Pacific leaders' summit in 2009, Chinese President Hu Jintao specifically requested a tour of the facility, said Yong.

Unlike treatment plants in the 1980s which emitted a foul smell because tanks were not covered, all outlets at the facility are tightly sealed and odours from by-products are neutralised before being released into the air.

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PUB calls tender for second desalination plant

Channel NewsAsia 30 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE : National water agency PUB on Wednesday called an open tender for the second and largest desalination plant to be built at Tuas.

To be completed by 2013, the plant will add close to 320,000 cubic metres (70 mgd) of desalinated water a day to the nation's water supply.

Following the completion of the fifth and largest NEWater plant at Changi last month, the new desalination plant is Singapore's latest water supply infrastructure project.

Like the first reverse-osmosis desalination plant at Tuas, the second plant will be constructed under a Design, Build, Own and Operate (DBOO) arrangement and utilise reverse osmosis technology.

PUB said increasing desalination capacity will further enhance the drought resilience of Singapore's water supply, and ensure reliability for Singapore's water users.

The successful bidder will enter into a 25-year water purchase agreement to supply desalinated water to PUB, commencing from mid 2013.

The water purchase agreement will set out the tariff structure, terms and conditions for the purchase of desalinated water.

The project is PUB's fourth DBOO project.

New water targets unveiled on Monday indicated desalination's bigger role in Singapore's water supply.

By 2060, Singapore plans to ramp up desalinated water capacity by almost 10 times so that the Fourth National Tap can meet at least 30 per cent of the water demand then. Water demand is expected to double to 760 mgd by 2060.

The tender for Singapore's second desalination plant will close on September 30. It is expected to be awarded in the first quarter of 2011.

There will be a project briefing and site show-around on July 15.

Potential bidders who would like to participate in this DBOO project can refer to the details available in Government Electronic Business (Gebiz). - CNA /ls

Big splash in the water tech sector
Major initiatives unveiled include tender for second desalination plant
Rachel Au-Yong Straits Times 1 Jul 10;

SINGAPORE International Water Week is making a big splash in the fast-growing water technology sector.

Several major initiatives were unveiled yesterday, including plans by consumer giant Procter & Gamble (P&G) to build a multi-million-dollar plant here to make water purification packets to help millions of needy people worldwide get fresh water.

Also, national water agency PUB put out to tender the building of Singapore's second water desalination plant. When completed by 2013, the larger plant will add 318,500 cubic metres of water a day to the nation's water supply.

Another key project is from Global Water Intelligence (GWI), an information service, which plans to set up a centre in Singapore to keep the burgeoning global water industry updated with vital data.

And five firms have been awarded a total of $6 million in research funds by a government agency to boost Singapore's status as a top water technology centre.

Hundreds of policymakers, industry leaders and other key players have gathered here this week for the event, which includes a vast range of activities.

Singapore aims to become a 'global hydro hub', drawing the biggest water companies here and pumping funds into water research. The environment and water sector is set to add $1.7 billion to economic output here and employ 11,000, mostly in skilled jobs, by 2015.

PUB said the new desalination plant will use a filtration method known as reverse osmosis to remove salt and other impurities from water.

Desalination - also known as Singapore's Fourth National Tap, along with catchment areas, water bought from Malaysia and Newater plants - is playing a bigger role here. Singapore plans to lift desalinated water capacity 10-fold to meet at least 30 per cent of demand by 2060. Water demand is expected to double to 3.4 billion cubic metres by then.

The tender will close on Sept 30 and is set to be awarded early next year. The successful bidder will enter into a 25-year water purchase deal to supply desalinated water to PUB, starting from mid-2013.

Looking further afield, P&G says PUR water packets to be made at its planned new Tuas plant, will provide 200 million purification packets a year to adults and children worldwide - able to produce up to two billion litres of fresh water.

The 'multi-million-dollar, non-profit investment' will employ nearly 50 Singapore staff, said P&G associate director for Asean external relations Anthony Rose.

The sachets have been used in disaster relief work, such as Haiti's recent earthquake, and in places lacking fresh water.

Singapore was chosen for the plant - due to start operations in 2012 - given its 'advanced technological base', as making the sachets requires precision, said the head of P&G's Children's Safe Drinking Water Programme, Dr Greg Allgood.

The GWI information office will be set up at PUB's WaterHub at Toh Guan Road East. 'We have been watching the opportunity in the water sector drift eastwards, and the global financial crisis has accelerated this,' said managing director Christopher Gasson in a statement yesterday.

The WaterHub is home to other renowned water-related organisations and research institutes such as the International Water Association, Optiqua Technologies and Nitto Denko.

The latest research grants were awarded by the Environment and Water Industry Programme Office, a division of PUB. The recipients - two local firms and three international firms with a strong presence here - had responded to a call for proposals on industry-led research.

One of the firms, industrial giant Siemens, will be developing a low-cost membrane which relies on the heat energy produced by waste matter to aid in the water distillation and filtration process.

The other successful firms are local firms Ultra-Flo and Natflow, as well as OptoTech and DHI Water & Environment. The latter won two grants.

Ultra-Flo will focus on affordable drinking water production by developing an energy-saving, efficient desalting membrane. Natflow aims to channel waste energy from a building's cooling and heating to desalinate wastewater.

PUB will also team up with international manufacturer ITT Corp to establish a joint research programme to develop energy-efficient water and wastewater treatment solutions, in a memorandum of understanding signed yesterday.

PUB calls tender for second desalination plant
To be completed by 2013, it'll add 70m gallons daily to fresh water supply
Uma Shankari Business Times 1 Jul 10;

(SINGAPORE) National water agency PUB is calling an open tender for Singapore's second - and larger - desalination plant to be built at Tuas.

The plant, which will be completed by 2013, will add 318,500 cubic metres - or 70 million gallons - of fresh water daily to the nation's supply.

Market watchers reckon the contract for the plant could be worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

The tender launch comes as Singapore aims to boost its desalination capacity almost 10 times by 2060 to be water self-sufficient by the time the country's water agreement with Malaysia expires in 2061.

New long-term goals call for desalinated water (water reclaimed from the sea) to meet at least 30 per cent of water demand by 2060; at present, just 10 per cent of water demand is met by desalinated water.

The new desalination plant is Singapore's latest water supply infrastructure project since the fifth and largest Newater plant at Changi was completed last month.

PUB also intends to build a sixth Newater plant, at Tuas, by 2030. It aims to triple Newater capacity so it can meet half of water demand by 2060.

Market interest in the tender for the second desalination plant is expected to be keen. Sembcorp - which designed, built and now operates the $180 million fifth Newater plant - has already confirmed its interest.

'Sembcorp has 145 million imperial gallons per day of desalination capacity in operation and under development in the Middle East, and owns and runs the world's largest hybrid desalination plant in the UAE,' a spokesman told BT. 'With our strong track record in desalination, we are certainly interested in bidding for this project.'

Singapore's first desalination plant - the $200 million SingSpring plant at Tuas - was awarded to a Hyflux consortium in 2003. This plant has now been operating for close to five years and produces 136,000 cubic metres - or 30 million gallons - of fresh water daily. The project was PUB's first public-private partnership project.

Like the first desalination plant, the second will also be constructed under a design, build, own and operate arrangement, and use reverse osmosis technology.

PUB has adopted a 'best sourcing' approach to expand the water supply in a cost-competitive manner since 2005, said the agency's director for best sourcing Koh Boon Aik.

'These projects have been highly successful, ensuring high-quality and reliable water supply on the most cost-effective basis as they tap the private sector's capacity and flexibility to innovate,' said Mr Koh. The public-private partnerships have also helped water companies build a track record in Singapore so they can eventually export the expertise they gain here, he added.

The successful bidder for the new desalination plant will enter into a 25-year agreement to supply fresh water to PUB from mid-2013. The agreement will set out the tariff structure and terms and conditions for the purchase of desalinated water.

The tender closes on Sept 30 and is expected to be awarded in the first quarter of 2011.

Separately, PUB said yesterday that six water companies will each receive about $1 million to carry out R&D to improve their offerings. Of the six companies, two are based in Singapore and the others are strongly represented by offices here.

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Study: Which Is The Greenest City In Asia?

Zakaria Abdul Wahab Bernama 29 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE, June 29 (Bernama) -- Which is the greenest city in Asia? The answer to this question will only be known by the end of this year when the Asian Green City Index is out.

Siemens and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) announced today that they are conducting an environmental performance study on 20 leading Asian cities from 11 countries.

The countries are China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam.

In a statement released in conjunction with the on-going World Cities Summit here, Siemens said the cities would be compared in terms of their environmental sustainability.

The cities will be assessed in eight environmental categories: energy supply and CO2 emissions, transportation, buildings and land use, water, sanitation, waste, air quality and green governance.

"With the Asian Green City Index, the Economist Intelligence Unit and Siemens are covering new ground. So far, no other study of this scope has been done for Asia," said Stefan Denig, who is leading this project at Siemens.

The study will be part of the Green City Index series, which sets out to compare the environmental performance of cities in different regions of the world.

Following the success of the European Green City Index, a study comparing the environmental performance of 30 major cities from 30 European countries, Siemens is now sponsoring similar studies for Asia, Africa and Latin America.

"The results of the study will help the cities to better understand and tackle their specific environmental challenges," said Lothar Herrmann, chief executive officer, Asean Cluster, Siemens.

It would enable city stakeholders to make more informed decisions about how to reduce their environmental impact by for example, making their power supplies, traffic systems and buildings more energy-efficient and eco-friendly, he added.

-- BERNAMA

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Singapore 11th most costly place to live for expats

Today Online 30 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE - Two Japanese cities and Hong Kong are in the top 10 list of the most expensive cities for expatriates.

According to Mercer's Worldwide Cost of Living Survey 2010, released yesterday, Tokyo, Osaka and Hong Kong were ranked second, third and eighth, respectively. Singapore fell by a notch, from 10th place last year to 11th.

Tokyo was ranked first and Osaka was second last year.

The most expensive city is Luanda in Angola, three times as costly as Karachi in Pakistan, which was ranked as the world's least expensive city.

Mercer's senior researcher, Ms Nathalie Constantin-Metral, said the stabilising economic environment and increased demand for good expat housing saw residential property prices in many Asian countries rising at the end of last year and the beginning of this year.

She noted the weakening US dollar against other currencies, together with lowered cost of rental accommodation, pulled US cities down the rankings. New York fell from eight place last year to 27th.

The survey measures the comparative cost of over 200 items, including housing, transport and clothing, in 214 cities across five continents.

Singapore slips a notch in expat living cost ranking
In Asia-Pac, it's now fourth, after Tokyo, Osaka, HK: survey
Felda Chay Business Times 30 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE is the 11th most expensive city in the world for expatriates, one place lower than its 10th position last year, says HR consultancy firm Mercer.

But the city moved up a notch to fourth place among cities in Asia-Pacific - which for the first time has three cities in the top 10 list of the dearest places for expats.

Tokyo remains the most expensive city in Asia-Pacific, with sister city Osaka second, and Hong Kong third. Singapore and Seoul round out the top five.

Cathy Loose, Asia-Pacific global mobility leader at Mercer's information product solutions business, said: 'Cities in Asia, such as Tokyo and Osaka, continue to be the most expensive cities given the relatively strong yen against other major currencies such as the US dollar.

'Other high-ranking cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Beijing remain relatively the same in terms of overall cost-of-living ranking.'

Part of the reason Asian cities feature more prominently in the worldwide top 10 list is the rise in residential property prices in the region, said Mercer senior researcher Nathalie Constantin-Metral.

'At the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010, residential property prices in many Asian countries rose as the economic environment began to stabilise and demand for good expat housing increased,' said Ms Constantin-Metral.

Among the 214 cities surveyed by Mercer, Tokyo was ranked second worldwide, giving up its place as the world's most costly city for expats to Angola's capital Luanda.

Ndjamena, in the central African nation of Chad, was placed third, followed by Moscow, then Geneva.

Mercer said the high living costs in some African cities reflects the continent's increasing economic importance across all business sectors.

'We've seen an increase in demand for information on African cities from across the business spectrum - mining, financial services, airlines, manufacturing, utilities and energy companies,' said Ms Constantin-Metral. 'Many people assume that cities in the developing world are cheap, but this isn't necessarily true for expatriates working there.'

In particular, the cost of good, secure accommodation can be 'extraordinarily high', she said.

Mercer's Cost of Living survey covers 214 cities across five continents and measures the comparative cost of more than 200 items in each location, including housing, transport, food, clothing, household goods and entertainment.

New York is used as the base city for the index, and all cities are compared against the Big Apple. Currency movements are measured against the US dollar.

The cost of housing - often the biggest expense for expats - plays an important part in determining where cities are ranked.

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Singapore emerges as most liveable Asian city in new Global Liveable Cities Index

Joanne Chan Channel NewsAsia 29 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE: Singapore has emerged as the most liveable Asian city in a new index. It was ranked third worldwide coming in behind Geneva and Zurich in the Global Liveable Cities Index.

Published by Singapore's Centre for Liveable Cities, the index looked at 64 cities including 36 from Asia.

When it comes to liveability, Singapore has been ranked up there with some of Europe's best cities.

In individual rankings, it came in first for domestic security and stability and third for good governance and leadership.

And it ranked 5th for economic vibrancy and quality of life.

But Singapore paled in the area of eco-friendliness and sustainability which looked at things like pollution and environmental initiatives.

Dr Tan Khee Giap, lead researcher, Global Liveable Cities Index, said: "We did very well on water management but this data is not available to most cities. Data which is available in Singapore but not available in most of the 64 cities we studied, will not be used."

Dr Tan said cities can work with the centre if they want to improve their ranking.

He said: "We do simulations by looking at cities and identify 20 weakest indicators among the more than 100 indicators we have. And hypothetically, if you improve your weakest 20%, how would your ranking be raised? So in that sense, it is more constructive than just doing a ranking which can be a beauty contest."

These preliminary findings of the index were unveiled at the World Cities Summit on Tuesday.

The Centre for Liveable Cities said the index is still a work in progress.

While the index is comprehensive and covers 135 indicators, it is by no means complete.

Dr Tan said that they may be looking to include more factors such as gender bias.

Other cities, such as Penang and Tatarstan, have also indicated interest in being included in the index.

The index's framework will be put up for further discussion during a workshop at the summit on Wednesday.

The Centre for Liveable Cities said its index stands out from other current rankings as it takes a more balanced approach.

But the way it’s computed will be discussed and refined further.

Andrew Tan, director, Centre for Liveable Cities, said: "In terms of looking at liveability from a more holistic and balanced framework, I think there are probably very few, if any, such set of indicators around."

Separately, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan also proposed a "Learning Network for Cities," to share the best practices in building a liveable city.

He said: “Cities differ from one another in size and character. They are shaped by their own demographics, cultures and traditions, their history and geography.

“But there are some recurring themes in the sustainable development practices of successful cities. These themes include strong governance, citizen engagement, balancing development and the environment, and international collaborations."

The push for sustainable urban living comes at a time when cities are growing at an unprecedented rate.

Every day, about 200,000 people move in cities and towns and by 2050, seven in 10 people will live in cities.

This presents challenges for governments to provide access to clean water, affordable housing and good sanitation. - CNA/vm

Singapore is Asia's most liveable city
Republic ranks third globally in new holistic and balanced index
Robin Chan Straits Times 30 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE is the most liveable city in Asia and ranks third in the world, according to a newly developed index.

Preliminary findings from the Global Liveable Cities Index, developed in Singapore, put the city state behind only Swiss cities Geneva and Zurich globally. It ranked well ahead of Hong Kong, as well as Japan's Tokyo and Osaka.

While Singapore came in tops in safety, it ranked only 14th out of 64 countries in the area of environmental friendliness and sustainability. It was third in the category of governance and fifth for economic vibrancy and quality of life.

These were the five criteria used in the index, which was commissioned by the Centre for Liveable Cities and designed by a team at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and academics in Switzerland.

'No doubt this is not a comprehensive list, but we thought that these are five key areas that every city should provide for their citizens,' said Mr Andrew Tan, director of the Centre for Liveable Cities.

In releasing the findings at the World Cities Summit yesterday, the index's authors claimed it is one of the most comprehensive and balanced indicators of liveability yet devised. It competes head on with a range of existing quality benchmarks, including Mercer's Quality of Living Survey, British publication Monocle's most liveable city index, and the Economist Intelligence Unit's Liveability Ranking.

'Each of these have their own purpose, but in terms of looking at liveability from a holistic, and...balanced framework, I think there are probably very few, if any, such sets of indicators around,' said Mr Tan, who is also co-chairman of the summit.

He said the index, which is planned for a full release in time for the next summit in 2012, has been designed to be used as a tool to guide policymaking.

On Singapore's weaker performance in the area of environmental protection, Dr Tan Khee Giap, who heads the research team behind the index, said it was due to insufficient data from other cities.

'We did very well in water management, but this is data not available from most of the 64 cities. In that sense, there is an over-exaggeration of Singapore's position in terms of its ranking of environmental friendliness,' Dr Tan said.

'But we hope to embark on more survey data gathering...to get a more complete set of indicators for the environment, and we hope we can better reflect Singapore's position.'

Singapore third most liveable city: study
Emilyn Yap Business Times 30 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE is the third most liveable city in the world, going by preliminary findings from a broad-based study commissioned by a think-tank here.

The Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC) released initial results from its Global Liveable Cities Index (GLCI) at the World Cities Summit (WCS) yesterday. Of the 64 cities assessed, Geneva emerged tops and Zurich second. Copenhagen and Helsinki tied at fourth.

Asia-Pacific cities which made it to the top 20 include Hong Kong (eighth), Melbourne (10th), Osaka (16th) and Tokyo (18th).

CLC got the study going in 2008 to assess cities' liveability in five areas: economic vibrancy and competitiveness; environmental friendliness and sustainability; domestic security and stability; quality of life and diversity; and governance and leadership.

GLCI is still a piece of work in progress, but CLC and some of the study's co-authors will present it at a WCS session today to gather feedback on its criteria and methodology.

'In terms of looking at liveability from a more holistic and balanced framework, I think there are probably very few, if any, such set of indicators that are around,' CLC director and National Environment Agency CEO Andrew Tan told the press yesterday.

Across the five areas which the GLCI looked at, Singapore fared best in domestic security, coming in first. It scored fairly well in terms of governance, quality of life and economic vibrancy. But its showing in eco-friendliness was weakest, at 14th place.

According to Tan Khee Giap, a co-author of the GLCI and associate professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore's green efforts could be underrated. He cited an example: the country did well in water management, but this was not reflected because comparable data was lacking in other cities.

Singapore is most liveable city in Asia
Singapore's Centre for Liveable Cities ranks republic third worldwide behind Geneva and Zurich
Joanne Chan Today Online 30 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE - Singapore has emerged as the most liveable Asian city in a new index.

It was ranked third worldwide, coming in behind Geneva and Zurich in the Global Liveable Cities Index. Published by Singapore's Centre for Liveable Cities, the index looked at 64 cities including 36 from Asia.

In individual rankings, Singapore came in first for domestic security and stability, and third for good governance and leadership. And it ranked fifth for economic vibrancy and quality of life.

But the republic paled in the area of eco-friendliness and sustainability, which looked at things like pollution and environmental initiatives.

Dr Tan Khee Giap, lead researcher of Global Liveable Cities Index, said: "We did very well on water management but this data is not available to most cities. Data which is available in Singapore but not available in most of the 64 cities we studied, will not be used."

These preliminary findings were unveiled at the World Cities Summit yesterday. While the index is comprehensive and covers 135 indicators, it is by no means complete. Dr Tan said more factors may be included.

The index's framework will be discussed during a workshop at the summit today.

The Centre for Liveable Cities said its index stands out from other current rankings as it takes a more balanced approach. But the way its computed will be discussed and refined further.

Mr Andrew Tan, director of Centre for Liveable Cities, said: "In terms of looking at liveability from a more holistic and balanced framework, I think there are probably very few, if any, such set of indicators around."

Every day, about 200,000 people move into cities and towns and by 2050, seven in 10 will live in cities. This presents challenges for governments to provide access to clean water, affordable housing and good sanitation.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan proposed a "Learning Network for Cities" to share the best practices in building a liveable city.

He said although cities differ from one another in size and character, there are some recurring themes in the development practices of successful cities. These include strong governance, citizen engagement, balancing development and the environment, and international collaborations.

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Singapore can be a model for green cities

Straits Times 30 Jun 10;

DENSELY packed urban cities like Singapore can be a strong lever against climate change, said a guest speaker at the World Cities Summit yesterday.

Mr Peter Schwartz, co-founder of advisory firm Global Business Network, was one of six panel speakers at the second plenary session of the four-day summit. He said that with proper planning, urban density can lead to energy efficiency and lessen the impact on the environment.

He gave the example of how in Manhattan, in New York City, everybody walks because buildings are close together.

But this is not the case across the rest of the United States, where the dream is to own a house in the suburbs and drive rather than take public transport to work.

'When you look at a place like Singapore, what you see is a viable alternative to an effective urban environment where people live richly, deeply, and with a minimum impact on the land and the environment,' he said.

Mr Schwartz, whose research focuses on climate change, suggested that developing green urban cities is critical as they can be powerful tools to reduce the impact of devastating climate change, which he said is the greatest crisis faced by humanity.

In response to a question on whether cities like Los Angeles should start building inwards and upwards instead of outwards, another speaker, Ms Saskia Sassen, said that Singapore is an 'expensive model' for cities to adopt even though it will become less costly over time.

'We cannot simply, I think, for much of the world, aspire to the Singapore model. We have to change our systems rather radically, so we need alternative models as well,' said the professor of sociology from Columbia University in the US.

In the panel discussion, other speakers also touched on topics such as sustainable transportation systems, and the different challenges that developed European countries and developing Asian countries are facing.

Delegates gather at summit to discuss urban transport challenges
Channel NewsAsia 29 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE : More than 300 delegates will gather at the Second World Urban Transport Leaders Summit (WUTLS) from Wednesday to discuss and exchange solutions, ideas and best practices in transforming urban transport.

The two-day summit will take place alongside the World Cities Summit and Singapore International Water Week.

It will also see the signing of the Memorandum of Co-operation between the LTA Academy and the Cities Development Initiative for Asia (CDIA).

This is to facilitate the exchange of information on urban transport policy and planning, and allow the agencies to take advantage of capacity development activities of either party.

CDIA is a regional partnership programme supported by the Asian Development Bank and the governments of Germany, Sweden and Spain.

It assists medium-sized Asian cities bridge the gap between their development plans and the implementation of their infrastructure investments. - CNA /ls

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Asian water crisis: Asian Development Bank

Martin Abbugao Yahoo News 30 Jun 10;

SINGAPORE (AFP) – Asia is in the grip of a water crisis that could set back the region's robust economic growth if left unresolved, according to a top Asian Development Bank (ADB) official.

Arjun Thapan, special adviser to ADB president Harukiko Kuroda on water and infrastructure issues, said governments must start managing the resource better to prevent the problem from worsening.

"We certainly believe that Asia is in the grip of a water crisis and one that is becoming more serious over time," Thapan told AFP on the sidelines of a water and urban planning conference in Singapore.

"We believe that the estimate recently made about Asia having a 40 percent gap between demand and supply by 2030 is a reasonable estimate."

With 80 percent of Asia's water used to irrigate agricultural lands, the shortage could have serious implications for food supplies, he warned.

Between 10 and 15 percent of Asia's water is consumed by industry.

Thapan said that the efficiency of water usage in agriculture and industry has improved by only one percent a year since 1990.

"It been business as usual," said Thapan, a speaker at Singapore International Water Week from June 28-July 1.

"Unless you radically improve the rate of efficiency of water use both in agriculture and in industry, you are not going to close the gap between demand and supply in 2030."

In China, thermal power generation is the biggest industrial water user, he said, noting that biofuels are also "notoriously water intensive."

Thapan said that if left unresolved, the water crisis "has the potential of slowing down" Asian growth.

To manage water usage well, people should be charged for the volume that they consume, regardless of whether water is managed by a private company or a public entity, said Thapan.

"Water cannot any longer be seen as a free and never-ending natural resource. It is a finite resource," he said.

While Asia's rapidly burgeoning cities are key economic drivers, many are also inefficient water users, and this should prompt government policy makers to implement reforms quickly.

Singapore's National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan told the conference Tuesday that about 200,000 more people every day move into cities and towns from rural areas.

Every three days, the equivalent of a new city the size of Seattle or Amsterdam emerges, said Mah, adding that by 2050, 70 percent of the global population will be living in cities, up from 50 percent currently.

Thapan said that "unless you measure the water that is being used, and you price that water, there is no way in which you can manage the demand."

"Singapore does a great job of conserving its water by making sure that the price is right, by making sure that waste water is properly reused," he said.

"Israel does that. There are lessons to be learned from these experiences."

Another problem is the volume of used water in Asia that remains largely untreated, leading to massive pollution of water sources like rivers.

Of the 412 rivers in the Philippines, 50 are biologically dead, he said. Between 2.0 billion and 2.5 billion dollars is needed to clean up Manila Bay and Pasig River in Manila alone.

In China, India, and the Philippines, among other Asian countries, the total availability of water per person per year has fallen below 1,700 cubic metres -- the global threshold for water stress, a situation where water demand exceeds the available amount during a certain period.

About 50 percent of China's Yellow River is so polluted it cannot support agriculture, and over 50 percent of the surface water in the country's Hai river basin is not fit for any use, Thapan said.

So is there still time?

"There is time, but again much will depend on how quickly you craft your water transformation agendas and how quickly you are able to implement them," Thapan said.

"This is serious business and unless governments and communities take this seriously now, the water stress will grow."

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Update on Coral Situation in Andaman Sea from 2010 Marine Science Conference in Phuket

Phuket Index 29 Jun 10;

Dr. Nisakorn Kositrat, the Deputy Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Natural Resource and Environment, presided over a Marine Science Conference 2010 called “Marine Biological Diversity in Thailand: Obstacles and Opportunities”. The conference was held in Phuket and there were 16 universities and organizations attending the conference.

This year, the conference mainly discussed about the coral bleaching situation in Thai seas. In the past 20 – 30 years, the surveys from related organizations showed that the average temperature of the sea was lower than 28 Celsius degrees or 25 Celsius degrees.

Yet, this year the average temperature of the sea rose up to 31 – 32 Celsius degrees, so it caused coral bleaching in Thai seas. If the rising temperatures last 2 – 3 weeks, the coral dies. However, if the temperature decreases, it would take 2 -3 months for the coral to return to normal. Dr. Nisakorn added that the coral should not be disturbed during the recovery period.

Meanwhile Wannakiat Tabtimsang, the Director of Phuket Marine Biological Center, revealed that the coral bleaching in Andaman Sea had stopped already. He added that the monsoon influencing the sea at this time had made the temperature decrease to 28 Celsius degrees. 5% – 50% of coral died depending on the coral habitat and the coral species. In the area that the coral was still alive, it would take 2-3 months for recovery, while the areas, where the coral died, would take 3 – 4 years to recover.

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Over 350 cases of Malaysian marine park encroachment in six years

The Star 30 Jun 10;

ALOR SETAR: Some 352 encroachment cases by fishermen at marine parks in Terengganu, Pahang, Johor and Kedah were recorded between 2003 and 2009.

Marine Park Department director-general Abd Jamal Mydin said the most encroachment cases were recorded in Pahang’s Pulau Tioman Marine Park with 144 cases followed by Pulau Payar in Kedah (85), Pulau Tinggi in Johor (66) and Pulau Redang in Terengganu (57).

“Most of these cases involved trawlers and purse seine boats.

“These vessels not only deplete the fish stocks but also destroy corals.

“In Kedah alone, the department recorded 10 encroachment cases in Pulau Payar Marine park between January and May,” he told newsmen after opening a meeting between the department and Kedah fishermen yesterday.

Abd Jamal said his department had deployed 21 boats to patrol all the 42 marine parks nationwide and they are also working closely with related agencies such as the Malay­sian Maritime Enforcement Agency and Fisheries Department to curb such encroachment.

On a similar note, he said that the department had identified several islands to be turned into marine parks.

“At the moment, there is only Pulau Payar Marine Park in the west coast of the peninsular.

“Teams have been sent to survey several islands in Perak, Negri Sembilan and Malacca.

“A marine park, besides being a tourist attraction, will also promote the development of fisheries’ resources in the area,” he said.

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World's smallest whale population faces extinction

Yahoo News 29 Jun 10;

PARIS (AFP) – The world's smallest known whale population has dwindled to about 30 individuals, only eight of them females, according to a study released Tuesday.

The Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska once teemed with tens of thousands of North Pacific right whales.

But hunting in the 19th century wiped out most of them, with up to 30,000 slaughtered in the 1840s alone, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

Poaching by the Soviet Union during the 1960s claimed several hundred more, making Eubalaena japonica probably the most endangered species of whale on Earth.

"Its precarious status today ... is a direct consequence of uncontrolled and illegal whaling, and highlights the past failure of international management to prevent such abuse," said the study, published in the British Royal Society's Biology Letters.

Numbering well under 50, the eastern North Pacific right whale -- which can reach up to 18 metres (60 feet) in length -- falls below the IUCN's threshold of likely viability as a species.

The small number of females is especially worrisome, said the study, led by Paul Wade of the Alaska Fisheries Science Center.

A genetically distinct population of right whales in the western Northern Pacific is in slightly better shape with several hundred individuals, but is nonetheless listed as "critically endangered" on the IUCN's Red List, the most scientifically respected index of threat level.

Right whales across the northern Pacific are also especially vulnerable to ship collisions because the animals cross a major trans-Pacific shipping lane as they move to and from feeding and breeding grounds.

"The probability of ship-strike mortalities may increase with the likely future opening of an ice-free Northwest Passage," the researchers note.

To carry out their grim census, Wade and colleagues used two standard method for measuring whale populations.

One was based on photos taken during visual sightings, from airplanes during the period 1998 to 2001 and again in 2008, and from ships in 2005 and 2007.

The other involved collecting biopsy tissue samples to gather genetic material, with a total of 43 taken over a 10-year period.

The two independent methods yielded nearly identical results -- 31 individuals through photography, 28 through genotyping -- thus lending more weight to the results.

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Gulf's coastal wetlands surviving despite oil

John Flesher Associated Press Google News 30 Jun 10;

BELLE CHASE, La. — From a seaplane 1,000 feet above Louisiana's coastal wetlands, the places hit hardest by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill are easy to spot — dark slashes marring a vast expanse of marshes and bayous.

Yet more than two months after the spill started, the view appears to confirm what many scientists are concluding: The wetlands, a haven for fish and seabirds and a flood buffer during the Gulf's notoriously vicious storms, "have come through so far pretty unscathed," Paul Kemp, director of the National Audubon Society's Louisiana Coastal Initiative, said after a recent 260-mile flight over most of the affected sections.

Damage has been severe in some locations, especially in reedy swamps near the mouth of the Mississippi River. But it's spotty and confined mostly to outer fringes of islands topped with marsh grasses and mangrove bushes. Little oil has advanced more than a few yards toward the interior, despite the many openings created by a labyrinth of natural bayous and man-made canals.

"There may be a few areas where the oil has penetrated deeper into the marsh, but I have not seen them yet," said Irving Mendelssohn, a Louisiana State University coastal plant ecologist.

Favorable wind and tidal patterns, plus Mississippi River currents countering the oily flow from the Gulf, have spared the wetlands the worst of the oil, experts say.

That could change quickly if a hurricane or tropical storm hurls an oil-choked water surge inland. Tropical Storm Alex, forecast to become a hurricane this week on its way between the Yucatan Peninsula and the U.S.-Mexico border, was not expected to spread the oil much more widely than it already is, but the next storm might.

"We've got some bad weather out there and God knows what will happen next," said Jacqueline Michel, a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration contractor who coordinates teams patrolling the wetlands.

For now, there has been nothing approaching wholesale saturation of Louisiana's estuaries, nesting grounds for brown pelicans, ducks and endangered least terns and a buffer that protects population centers from tidal surges during severe storms.

For now, there has been nothing approaching wholesale saturation of Louisiana's estuaries, nesting grounds for brown pelicans, ducks and endangered least terns.

Wetlands are also prized for their ability to filter and store pollutants, so it makes sense that they've managed to keep the oil along the fringes, said Alex Kolker, a Tulane University scientist.

"In this case, it may be a sacrificial sort of filtering, because they're taking on so much oil they may die off," Kolker said.

Wherever the oil has reached, swamp grass has turned a sickly brown and once leafy mangrove shrubs are bare skeletons.

On Queen Bess Island, a bird rookery in sprawling Barataria Bay, waves of oil vaulted over rows of protective boom and fouled the island's exterior a couple of weeks ago. On a recent morning it still swarmed with seabirds, some with stained plumage. Scientists have observed chicks awash in oil there.

Charter boat captain Dwayne Price, who has fished the bay nearly all his 44 years, says he's seen islets that appeared entirely coated.

"When you're in love with something like that and you see it destroyed right in front of your face, it really pulls at your heart," he said.

And the worst may be happening under the water.

If oil seeps into the ground and suffocates roots, the plants will die and soil will wash away, worsening erosion that already swallows up to 30 square miles of Gulf coastal wetlands a year — a football field every half-hour.

Melanie Driscoll, an Audubon Society bird specialist, said the Barataria islands she has inspected were not as badly damaged as she'd feared.

"But there could be a lot happening beneath the surface of the water or in the roots of the vegetation," she said. "It may not be the apocalypse right now, but it could be a slowly unfolding disaster."

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