Line of Death at Pulau Semakau
from Diary of a Boy wandering through Our Little Urban Eden
Spotted wood owl
from Urban Forest
Oriental Magpie-robin catching lizards
from Bird Ecology Study Group
"Seduce Me", spawn of Green Porno, presents "Cuttlefish" and more from wild shores of singapore
Kor Kian Beng Straits Times 20 Jul 10;
IS THE Government fixated on economic growth to the detriment of social development and the welfare of its people?
The danger is there, argued Nominated MP Viswa Sadasivan, as evidenced by a growing income gap and the large share taken up by profits relative to wages in the gross domestic product (GDP).
No, countered Dr Amy Khor, chairman of government feedback arm Reach and Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Environment and Water Resources Ministry.
The duo's battle over an issue that is often debated among Singapore's intellectuals came at the tail end of yesterday's Parliament sitting.
Mr Viswa called for the Government to look beyond GDP as the key indicator of progress, to non-economic indicators like job satisfaction and happiness.
Dr Khor's reply: 'We agree that the development of a society cannot be predicated on pure economics alone.
'A responsible government takes a balanced approach towards developing a country, taking holistic account of its
economic, social and security needs, and with a steady eye towards the long term, beyond the election cycle... The ultimate aim is to enable our people to have
quality of life, and not merely a high standard of living.'
She pointed out that a 'growth-at-all-costs' strategy had never been undertaken by the Government.
But it also would not make sense to slow growth down deliberately, she said.
'Slow growth will make everyone worse off, but it will have the harshest impact on the low income, the very ones we are trying to help,' she added. 'The correct approach is not to dumb down the top, but to pump up the bottom.'
Dr Khor also pointed out how the Government's yearly spending on the social sector stacks up against spending on the economic sector.
Economic sectors account for 20 per cent of the Government's annual Budget - half the 40 per cent pumped into social sectors such as education, community and sports.
This is a clear sign of the Government's priorities, she stressed.
On the high GDP share going to companies, Dr Khor said this was not the outcome of deliberate government policy to favour the corporate sector against workers.
In any case, it was not a zero-sum game as some corporate profits go
towards taxes or are re-invested in projects in Singapore, in turn creating benefits for Singaporeans such as new jobs and technology transfers.
Turning to income inequality, she said this was common among global cities. Hong Kong and New York, for instance, had Gini coefficients of more than 0.5, 'like several other American cities'.
Singapore's Gini coefficient is 0.453, after factoring in government transfers and assistance.
The Gini coefficient is a common measure of income equality, with 0 implying perfect equality and 1 extreme inequality.
Dr Khor, the only MP to respond to the NMP, also said the GDP index, despite its failings, is still one of the best gauges of a country's progress and wealth.
Amid the debate on indicators to use, it was important not to forget that indicators serve as only 'signs and pointers', she added.
After all, policymaking cannot be driven by short-term measurement of indicators, but must be 'anchored in a clear understanding of reality', she said.
Singapore's approach has never been 'GDP growth at all costs': Dr Amy Khor
S Ramesh Channel NewAsia 20 Jul 10;
SINGAPORE: Nominated Member of Parliament Viswa Sadasivan has filed a motion that policymakers should look beyond GDP as a measurement of the country's well-being.
Moving the motion for adjournment at Monday's Parliament sitting, Mr Sadasivan said changed circumstances today require a broader framework which looks at non-economic factors.
These could be being able to fulfill aspirations, work-life balance, or just being happy.
For the middle and lower income, it could be buying a flat, or the rising cost of living.
Replying government feedback unit, REACH chairman, Dr Amy Khor stressed that Singapore's policy has never been a "GDP growth at all cost" approach.
She says a responsible government takes a balanced approach towards developing a country.
This means taking a holistic account of economic, social and security needs for the benefit of citizens, so that progress is broad-based.
Dr Amy Khor, Chairman, REACH, said: "Even as we debate the pros and cons of various indicators to reflect our socio-economic conditions, we must not forget that indicators are what they are described to be --- signs and pointers.
"It is a challenge to develop indicators that accurately or unambiguously capture a particular state of affairs in the socio-economic realm, or the outcomes of a policy at any point in time. Hence, it is important that we do not skew behaviour or encourage short term outlook by over emphasising the use of indicators.
"Government policy-making must instead be anchored in a clear understanding of reality, and cannot be driven by short term measurement of indicators."
- CNA/jm
Government very much focused on people: Amy Khor
Business Times 20 Jul 10;
She rebuts MP's contention about Singapore's high income inequality
SINGAPORE has never pursued a 'GDP growth at all cost' strategy, the government said yesterday in a robust response to a view that a growth-centred model here has led to socio-economic dysfunctions.
Through its choices and its Budget, the government is 'very much focused on people', said Amy Khor, Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources and deputy government whip.
'Even in our early days, when we were deprived, we were mindful not to allow heavy pollutive industries using old technology to set up base in Singapore to ensure a good quality living environment,' she told Parliament. 'Hence, even back then, we had to turn away much-needed investment opportunities.'
Dr Khor, who is also South West District mayor, was responding on behalf of the government to issues raised by Nominated MP Viswa Sadasivan on going beyond GDP as a measure of the country's well-being and progress.
GDP figures limit the assessment of both objective and subjective elements of well-being and development, Mr Viswa said. Objective measures would include income distribution, purchasing power parity, per capita consumption and wage shares, while subjective elements refer to issues such as health and mental well-being, life and job satisfaction, work-life balance, happiness and social and environmental capital.
A strong focus on GDP growth here over the decades has resulted in not only high income inequality but an inordinately high profit share of GDP and low wage share, according to the NMP. He called for a more balanced framework in the measurement of economic progress and welfare, citing the trend in the major economies, particularly France and Canada.
He also suggested that the government create 'a mixed bag of social and economic indicators' - particularly measures that reflect the people's priorities, such as job satisfaction, happiness, work-life balance, feeling connected and pollution. Or what are qualitative 'non-market externalities', he said.
In response, Dr Khor said that GDP, for all its shortcomings, remains one of the best gauges of a country's progress and wealth, and that economic growth is still key to improving the lives of people.
The high profit share of GDP, relative to wages, is not the result of deliberate government policy to favour the corporate sector against workers, she said. In any case, it is not a zero-sum game, as some of the profits return to Singaporeans in the form of tax revenue, new jobs and technology transfer, and add to a vibrant corporate eco-system here. She also rebutted Mr Viswa's contention about Singapore's high income inequality, as reflected in its Gini coefficient, saying that other global cities such as Hong Kong and New York fare worse. Singapore's approach, in any case, is 'not to dumb down the top, but to pump up the bottom'.
As for Mr Viswa's call for broad-based policy analysis and for regular reporting of non-economic indicators, Dr Khor reminded the House that indicators are but 'signs and pointers'. It is a challenge to develop indicators that accurately or unambiguously capture a particular state of affairs in the socio-economic realm, she said.
'It is important that we do not skew behaviour or encourage short-term outlook by over-emphasising the use of indicators. Government policy-making must instead be anchored in a clear understanding of reality, and cannot be driven by short-term measurement of indicators.'
The government's approach to developing Singapore has always been holistic, multi-faceted and with the long-term view, she added.
Sona Remesh Channel NewsAsia 19 Jul 10;
SINGAPORE: The government does not target a specific population size. Instead, it seeks to achieve a sustainable population size to grow the economy and develop a more vibrant society.
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng said this in a written response to MP Ho Geok Choo on the optimal number of foreigners needed to keep Singapore productive.
Mr Wong said the government recognises that the proportion of foreign workers in the workforce cannot increase indefinitely, due to physical and social limits.
As such, their number will be capped at the current one-third of the total workforce.
But no quotas will be set - instead, there will be a phased increase in the foreign worker levy.
This so businesses have the flexibility to employ foreign workers should they need to grow, without being hindered by rigid quotas.
At the same time, the government will also help companies reduce their reliance on low-skilled workers through productivity enhancing initiatives such as the $2 billion National Productivity Fund.
Mr Wong also addressed measures taken to ensure that foreign talents add to Singapore's social cohesion.
He said immigrants are needed to supplement Singapore's population, because of declining birth rates and an ageing population.
Some 20,000 new citizens are required to make up for this shortfall annually.
Efforts to ensure they fit in include the National Integration Council and the Singapore Citizenship Journey, which was introduced to help new citizens learn about Singapore's history and way of life. - CNA/jm
Amresh Gunasingham Straits Times 20 Jul 10;
THE Marina Barrage helped to prevent flooding in many low-lying areas around the city during the recent floods and has done so since it was opened in 2008, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim said in Parliament yesterday.
However, areas farther away such as Orchard Road could still be vulnerable.
Responding to Non-Constituency Member of Parliament (NCMP) Sylvia Lim's question on the role of the barrage in the recent floods, he explained that because the barrage receives water from a large 10,000ha network of canals and drains, areas in central Singapore or farther north could still be flooded if the drains there did not have the capacity to contain water during an intense downpour.
This was the case on June 16, when Orchard Road flooded.
Ms Lim had asked the minister to clarify what she termed as 'confusing statements' in the media about the role of the barrage in the floods, pointing out that PUB chief executive officer Khoo Teng Chye had earlier said it was not to be blamed for the Orchard Road flooding.
When opened to great fanfare two years ago, the $226 million Marina Barrage was touted as the solution to relieve flash floods in low-lying areas around the city.
Explaining the role of the barrage, Dr Yaacob said it played three main roles - one, as a freshwater reservoir, two, to prevent floods, and three, as a place for recreational activities.
During a rain storm, seven pumps and nine crest gates at the barrage are used to release water out to sea. Which are used depends on the relative water levels inside and outside the barrage. Prevailing tidal levels and predictions based on statistical modelling are also considered.
On the morning of June 16, when Orchard Road was flooded, the gates, which take 20 minutes to open fully, were progressively opened from 8.30am, two hours before the flooding occurred.
'How the gates are operated would have to be decided by the water level both inside and outside (the dam), because if the water level outside is higher during high tide, then you have to start the pumps and pump water out. If it is lower, then the crest gates can be lowered,' Dr Yaacob explained.
'The triggering point would have to be done carefully because it will take some time, and if we do open up the crest gates, we have to ensure it is done correctly.'
He added that PUB, the national water agency, had achieved this balance correctly during the three recent flooding incidents, pointing out that downtown areas such as Chinatown and Boat Quay had been unaffected on each occasion during an intense downpour.
'PUB did this correctly in the last three incidents and because of this, none of the areas downtown had any floods.
'As to whether we could have done it for the Orchard area - we did, but do not forget the Marina catchment is a very large catchment,' he said.
It's time to start a proper investigation
Straits Times 20 Jul 10;
AS A concerned citizen watching the physical transformation of Singapore over the last 50 years, I have often wondered whether there are any downside risks that come with such development.
Our land mass has grown by an amazing 25 per cent in almost half a century to 775.5 sq km. In fact, the entire shape of Singapore has changed along with our ethnography, transportation and management of water resources, down to the way we work and play.
According to a study, Singapore's coastline has been strikingly transformed not solely by territorial expansion through land filling or reclamation, but also by the closure of the estuaries of the main rivers draining the interior of the island.
To what extent has such a closure and relentless construction contributed to the floods in recent years?
To what extent, too, has the loss of 40 per cent of our natural forests, from 37.8 sq km to 22.6 sq km between 1960 and 2006, affected the island's ability to absorb torrential downpours?
It would be unfair to pick on the PUB or hold drainage as the culprit for the flooding. Neither should we cite Typhoon Conson as being a possible cause for our floods. It is simply too convenient.
The Government should start a Commission of Inquiry to examine why the recent floods have been concentrated mainly in the central and southern parts of the island, whereas the northern, north-western and north-eastern parts have been largely spared.
Has this to do with the closing of the river estuaries and the massive construction and urbanisation in the city and the surrounding suburbs?
Until we arrive at a more multi-dimensional root cause for the problem, we will, at best, get only a piecemeal solution.
As a world-class city, we cannot afford to sink like Venice or swim like New Orleans.
Patrick Low
'While floods are inevitable, watching parts of the country submerged is not.'
MR TOH CHENG SEONG: 'The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources and PUB should set up a task force to alleviate the problem. While floods in the tropics are inevitable, watching parts of the country, especially Orchard Road, submerged is not. Singapore is widely regarded as one of the most liveable cities in the world. The flash floods remind us that more needs to be done before we can live up to that accolade.'
'Could it be Marina Barrage?'
MR ONG TIONG MENG: 'I grew up when flooding was a way of life before the problem was solved some 20 years ago. Now the problem is back regularly. What has changed? Could it be the Marina Barrage? As an engineer, I would have thought that the discharge into the sea would be more efficient without the barrier. Despite the comment that there are six high-flow pumps that can discharge the water into the sea, I am less than sanguine. Perhaps PUB, the national water agency, should review its pump operations. Once heavy rainfall looms, the pumps should be started regardless of the level of water in the basin. This will lower the level of water in the basin and ease the flow of water from the drainage areas.'
Stamford Canal review 'top priority'
Probe into puzzle of Orchard Road floods blames waterway too
Jeremy Au Yong Straits Times 20 Jul 10;
A BLOCKED drain was not the main cause of the floods at Orchard Road a month ago. The Stamford Canal was simply not able to cope with the big gush of water from two intense bouts of rain over two hours.
With the shopping belt hit twice by floods recently, the design and capacity of this major canal, taking water all the way to the sea, will now be reviewed as a top priority.
Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim revealed this in Parliament yesterday in reply to MPs' questions on the spate of flash floods around the island over the past month.
He said an inter-agency task force will conduct a review of all major drains and canals in Singapore, with the canal that runs alongside Orchard Road demanding the most urgent attention.
'The Stamford Canal is now our priority. We will study carefully how we can alleviate the hot spots that we have discovered in Orchard Road,' he said.
Depending on the outcome, Stamford Canal may be widened or deepened.
Dr Yaacob noted that the review of drainage systems will consider all measures, but within the constraints of 'cost effectiveness and competing uses for limited land in Singapore'.
Improvement works have been planned for various drains and waterways, including the Geylang River, Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal and the downstream stretch of Rochor Canal.
Tenders will also be put out before the end of the year to upgrade drains in flood-prone areas like Thomson Road, MacPherson Road and Little India.
The emphasis on Stamford Canal comes after national water agency PUB identified the capacity of the waterway as a key factor in the Orchard Road flood that caused millions of dollars in damage on June 16.
The 4km-long Stamford Canal, which runs from Tanglin Road to Raffles Avenue, has been diverted temporarily for various building projects in recent years.
In the immediate aftermath of the Orchard flood, debris in the canal had been singled out as the main culprit. The PUB said then that the canal's capacity was adequate.
Yesterday, Mr Yaacob explained that further PUB investigations found that the canal had, in fact, been overwhelmed.
At the height of the storm, water equivalent to 1-1/2 Olympic pools flowed into the Orchard Road section of the Stamford Canal every minute.
However, that section could handle no more than 1-1/3 Olympic pools of water per minute.
The volume and duration of the downpour (100mm of rain over two hours) played a part. But another factor was how it fell. It took a perfect storm of sorts - two separate bursts of rain combining to overwhelm the canal.
The first bout of rain took place at 9.40am over the upstream portion of the Stamford Canal. The second, over the entire canal, occurred half an hour later.
The run-off water from the first met the rain from the second storm at the section of the canal near Cuscaden Road and Grange Road.
'This generated a combined storm flow that caused the water level to rise rapidly and overflow onto Orchard Road. The situation was worsened by debris carried into the canal by the first burst of rain,' explained Dr Yaacob.
He added that PUB's latest findings have been shared with an independent panel of experts.
One of the four members of the panel, Professor Chan Eng Soon, dean of the faculty of engineering at the National University of Singapore, said the panel was satisfied with the data in the review.
'We are quite happy with that conclusion. The recommendation is that there should be a more detailed, more holistic analysis of the whole drainage system and how we deal with floods,' he said.
The Orchard Road deluge aside, Dr Yaacob also spoke briefly about the two other floods, on June 25 and last Saturday. Both, he said, were caused by an unusually large amount of rain. On June 25, 100mm of rain fell within 1-1/2 hours over large parts of Singapore, putting flood-prone areas such as Bukit Timah, Thomson and Kampong Java under water.
Last weekend, a massive 181mm of rain was recorded in central areas, while 194mm was recorded in the east, all in one morning. The average rainfall for the entire month of July is 158mm.
Ultimately, he said, drainage measures were only one part of the solution. Although flood-prone areas have been reduced from 3,178ha in 1970 to 66ha today, he noted that it was not realistic for Singapore to be completely flood-free.
As such, Dr Yaacob said the Government was also looking to improve its alert system. For instance, the PUB is expanding its network of water sensors and making the data available online.
'I think the idea of protecting yourself, warning yourself early that flood may occur, what can you do, I think is an important part of the challenge,' he said.
Alert via SMS for Orchard Rd businesses
Straits Times 20 Jul 10;
BUSINESSES on Orchard Road can now choose to receive an SMS alert on possible flooding when sensors in the Stamford Canal detect high water levels.
The authorities are also looking into extending the warning system to the public, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim told Parliament yesterday.
Similar alert systems are already in place in flood-prone parts of Singapore such as Bukit Timah and Telok Kurau. For example, the operations manager of Telok Kurau Secondary School will receive an SMS when the water level in the nearby Siglap Canal rises to a certain level.
Dr Yaacob revealed, in response to Nominated MP Mildred Tan's question, that the early warning system was previously used to put the police and Singapore Civil Defence Force on high alert when there was a potential flood.
An SMS alert warns only of the possibility, and not the certainty, of a flood, the minister said, as high water levels in the canals do not always result in overflows.
'The point is that all of this is not an exact science because the water level will have to reach a certain level based on our judgment for us to trigger the alert,' Dr Yaacob said.
Still, it is better for people in low-lying areas to be informed so they can take necessary measures to save property, even if no flood occurs in the end, he said.
The existing network of 32 water level sensors will be expanded to 90 by the end of the year, and 150 next year.
Water level data from the sensors will also be made available on the PUB website in the near future.
CHONG ZI LIANG
No policy disallowing pictures, says minister
Straits Times 20 Jul 10;
THERE is no ministry policy that prohibits the taking of flood pictures, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Yaacob Ibrahim told Parliament yesterday.
The issue came to light during last Saturday's floods when veteran photojournalist Shafie Goh from evening daily Lianhe Wanbao was handcuffed after allegedly dismissing police warnings to leave.
Mr Goh, 57, had been snapping shots of the flood in the Bukit Timah area.
Responding to a question from Member of Parliament Penny Low on whether a no-picture policy exists, Dr Yaacob said there was nothing private about a flood.
Dr Yaacob added, however, that his knowledge of the case came only from news reports he had read.
'From what we understand, the photographer was warned because of safety issues, not because of privacy issues,' he said.
'There is nothing private about a flood, and I think based upon the report, that is what we understood to have happened that morning,' he said.
The police said in a statement on Sunday that Mr Goh had been asked repeatedly to move to a safe place as he was taking photos in a dangerous position.
But he refused to comply and continued walking along the road divider, snapping away.
Officers then handcuffed him. Mr Goh was not wearing any media identification at the time, and officers were not aware he was from the press.
Mr Goh also said that though he was cuffed for only five minutes, he had to wait an hour to have his statement taken.
The incident has sparked concern from the Singapore National Union of Journalists over what it described as a 'very unpleasant and humiliating experience' for Mr Goh.
In a written statement, the union said circumstances in which the police can handcuff an individual should be made clear.
'We believe that there should be a better way for the police to manage the incident,' said a union spokesman.
Police have classified the case under Section 186 of the Penal Code - obstructing a public servant in discharge of his public functions.
Investigations are ongoing.
KIMBERLY SPYKERMAN
Questions for the minister: From canal designs to cleaning schedules to building flood barriers
Straits Times 20 Jul 10;
Questions about the recent floods took up more than half of the 90 minutes allotted to MPs' questions yesterday. Below is a sampling of the questions and the replies from Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim.
# Ms Lee Bee Wah (Ang Mo Kio GRC): In one month there have been three floods. Do you think that these could have been prevented and why?
Question two, where are the other flood-prone areas that your ministry has checked?
Question three, is there any drainage masterplan and when was this last updated?
Dr Yaacob: In the last one month, we have seen three intense storms. Only two caused flooding in Orchard Road, not all three. The June 25 flood did not cause any flooding. No, Orchard Road was not flooded. We have to be precise.
But Sir, the question that the Member asked, of whether this can be prevented - in the first case, as I mentioned earlier, for the flooding of June 16, we did not expect it to happen in Orchard Road, but we have learnt from the incident that first, we must be more prompt in the way we remove the debris, and we have installed the gates to be able to catch debris upstream.
But secondly, I think we need to review the design of Stamford Canal and its adequacy altogether. I think the last July 17 storm caused us to be very concerned that this is a major canal diverting water all the way to the sea and therefore if it is flooded, we have to take a serious view of what needs to be done.
As I mentioned in my reply, we are giving this top priority in our review of all the canals in Singapore.
You asked what the other flood-prone areas are. In fact, after the three incidents, all of the flood-prone areas that we are aware of were flooded. The only area that was a surprise to us is Orchard Road, and that is why we are paying attention to Orchard Road, and we need to deal with this problem decisively.
We do have a drainage masterplan. The drainage masterplan is updated at a certain frequency. We, in fact, have been looking at this for the last three years ever since the flood in 2007, and we have been pushing forward the drainage improvement plan as far as possible.
As you all know, it will take time because we need to be able to acquire the land, we need to be able to call for tender and what-have-you. But as I mentioned in my reply, we will accelerate it as much as possible.
But at the end of the day, we must also look at the drainage system vis-a-vis the overall land use within Singapore. In certain instances, we may not be able to expand the drain, but we could consider other measures which we are also exploring, such as the use of retention ponds and what-have-you.
# Madam Ho Geok Choo (West Coast GRC): The minister has earlier said that contractors are mainly responsible for supervising the clearing of the monsoon drains and small drains which often are a repository for dried leaves and other stuff not cleared, resulting in clogging and even mosquito breeding.
I would like to ask the minister, who is in charge of the contractors?
Second question, what action has been taken against contractors who fail to clear all this rubbish from monsoon drains in a timely manner? Are the penalties sufficient? It has been said that it is cheaper to pay fines than to employ enough workers to clean up. I would like the minister's comment on this.
Dr Yaacob: Contractors are hired by PUB to clean the drains, as I mentioned in my reply. They are given a contract. We have, in fact, increased the contract period from three years to five years so that they can explore the use of technology.
We have not come across a severe case of contractors who have not been doing their job, but having said that, PUB officers are always on a lookout, to monitor the work being done by contractors.
At this point in time, we do not see any evidence to suggest that the fines are inadequate or whether or not the contractors are cutting corners. Certainly, if we come across incidents of shortchanging the contract, we will certainly come down hard on the contractor. But thus far, I have been informed by the PUB, there are no such incidents.
# Ms Irene Ng (Tampines GRC): To what extent has our rapid urban development limited our island's capacity to handle run-off caused by strong rainfall?
Besides providing drains, would our urban planners incorporate techniques that promote infiltration and storage of water in the soil column and to reduce impermeable surfaces?
Dr Yaacob: Before any urban development plans can be approved, the PUB will have to check whether or not there has been adequate consideration given for the drainage system. Whatever run-off that this produces as a result of the development, it must not overstress the drainage system that we have.
If there are exceptional cases, we will work with the developers to see what are the ways they ensure that the run-off from the development does not aggravate the existing system.
You suggested some ideas, I will pass these on to the PUB to see what they can do further with the contractors and the developers.
Thus far, we have not come across any incident that because of an existing development, flooding results. More often than not, we would have calculated, together with the developer, what the run-off is and whether or not the existing drains have the capacity to absorb the additional run-off.
# Ms Penny Low (Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC): How does MEWR (Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources) determine what constitutes flood-prone areas? If these areas identified are the same as those identified in previous years, why was the drainage in existing flood-prone areas not rectified?
Dr Yaacob: Flood-prone areas are areas which are below or marginally above the high tide and not served by any pump or drainage system and areas which have been flooded by storms of lower intensity than they are designed for.
For example, in my own constituency, which unfortunately was flooded over the weekend, these are terrace houses which are well below, in fact, the level of the Kallang River. These are low-lying areas.
We know it is flood-prone, so if there is rainfall of a certain intensity, this place will be flooded. How do we resolve it? Well, the only way is actually for the level of the roads and the building to be raised at the next redevelopment.
Other than Orchard Road, which is something new to us, the rest of the areas we are familiar with, and, in fact, we have drainage programmes for most of these areas to alleviate the flooding situation.
Orchard Road, I wouldn't consider as a flood-prone area. I think it is a hot spot. We are studying it very, very carefully to see what more can be done to alleviate the problem as quickly as possible.
# Nominated MP Teo Siong Seng: About Orchard Road, I can't help but feel sorry for the shopkeepers in Lucky Plaza. Is there anything the ministry can do?
Dr Yaacob: After the incident of June 16, we discussed with the management of Lucky Plaza the things that they can do in terms of putting in flood alleviation measures and, in fact, the PUB stands ready to advise any of these buildings which have been affected on the measures that they can take, and we are in constant contact with them.
So, it is really up to the management to make the necessary decision. In fact, some of the condos affected earlier have already put up the measures, some have not, and we will continue to work with them to advise what the best thing that we can do is.
In fact, for MP Chris de Souza, he has been actively working with his residents, and we have been in touch with the condos affected in his area on the things that we can do. In fact, I have been told that we will work with LTA (Land Transport Authority) to raise the road level and the hump level which is in front of the condo so that we can alleviate the flood situation over there.
# Mr Chris de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC): Can you accelerate the widening and deepening of Bukit Timah canal? Also, the canal that takes the collection of water to Sungei Ulu Pandan which goes underneath Maple Avenue?
Secondly, would PUB continue to encourage the management corporations of condos where there are basement carparks to invest money in protection measures? I think that would be a very good interim until the widening of the canal happens.
Dr Yaacob: As I mentioned in my reply, where it is possible to accelerate, we will do so and, in fact, Bukit Timah canal and the diversion canal are one of the top priority areas.
As to whether we can continue to work with the management of the condos, we will do so. As I have replied to the earlier question, in fact, after the last three incidents, we contacted all the managements of the condos to advise them on what can be done.
These are all older condos. The new condos are all subject to the new platform levels which PUB has stipulated. For those which were built before the new law came into effect, the best thing for the management to do is, really, to work together with the PUB and find measures which they can incorporate.
Some have already done so, some I think are considering that. And, in fact here, Sir, I would like to add that we are also prepared to work with home owners because in some areas, it may be difficult for us to expand the drain or enlarge the drain because of limited land availability, but what we can do is that home owners can take necessary precautions.
So, the PUB is prepared to work with some of the home owners on the measures they can take to prevent flooding or water going into their homes.
# Dr Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim (Marine Parade GRC): I visited the flood site in Chai Chee and met a few concerned residents over there. While waiting for the overall changes in the drainage system, they suggested that the ministry can consider increasing the size of the road kerb scupper mouth and road kerb drop inlets in all affected public housing estates to take in more water quickly so that we can prevent further flash floods.
Secondly, the recent heavy rain accompanied by strong winds led to damage to infrastructure such as traffic lights, signages, power supply and trees. When these structures break down, they may pose a danger to the public. Are efforts being carried out by the relevant agencies to review the operational status of these structures? Can they withstand the impact of such heavy downpours or thunderstorms?
Dr Yaacob: To the second question, there is an inter-agency committee chaired by the PUB that looks at all of these incidents. I can't be very precise as to whether or not they are doing a review, but I am sure LTA, the various agencies whose infrastructure is affected, will certainly consider what additional measures to take.
To your earlier suggestion about enlarging scupper drains and making the inlet bigger, this is already being done by the PUB.
# Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim: I read that the PUB and the authorities are actually stepping up their checks of drains from quarterly to monthly. Is this not an acknowledgement that the checks were actually not done frequently enough up to now?
Dr Yaacob: The frequency of checks of our drains prior to the incident of June 16 was every three months, and that was adequate, but obviously, the June 16 storm was an intense storm that caused a lot of rubbish to be pushed down to the Stamford Canal and caused some parts of the canal to be blocked.
So we decided, that in the interest of alleviating our flood-prone areas as much as possible, to increase our frequency (of checks).
# Mr Liang Eng Hwa (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC): Do you think Bukit Timah can ever be taken off the list of flood-prone areas? Or at least be less flood-prone than it is today?
Dr Yaacob: Honestly, no minister can give you that answer. It is difficult for us to say whether or not we can make it entirely flood-free.
I was reminded by senior members of the Cabinet that Bukit Timah was known as a flood-prone area in the 60s and the 70s.
But obviously, more needs to be done, and we will do our best. But we cannot look at the control of floods just purely from a drainage system. I think the idea of protecting yourself, warning yourself early that flood may occur, what can you do, I think is an important part of the challenge.
Governmentt to bring forward plans to improve drainage in flood-prone areas
By Mustafa Shafawi and Joanne Chan Channel NewsAsia 19 Jul 10;
SINGAPORE: The government will bring forward plans to improve drainage in major canals and drains in flood-prone areas.
There will also be an urgent review of the Stamford Canal which overflowed and caused the June 16 and July 17 floods in Orchard Road.
With Singapore hit by three floods in just a month, the issue dominated Parliament for a good half an hour on Monday.
10 Members of Parliament (MPs) wanted to know the cause of the floods, and what the government was doing to prevent a repeat.
"In one month, there are three floods in Orchard Road and other parts of Singapore. Do you think that this could have been prevented and why do you think so," questioned Lee Bee Wah, MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC.
"If these areas identified are the same as those identified in previous years... then why is the drainage of those existing flood-prone areas not rectified in the first placed," asked Penny Low, MP for Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC.
In reply to the parliamentary questions, the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim said there are plans to implement drainage improvements to several major canals and drains.
Dr Yaacob said the tender for improvement to Geylang River closed in June.
Tenders for improvements to Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal and the downstream stretch of Rochor Canal1 will be called in the next three months.
Tenders for the upgrading of major drains along Thomson Road and MacPherson Road will be also called by the end of the year.
Works to improve the drainage system in the flood-prone areas of Little India will start in the next few months.
Dr Yaacob said wherever possible, PUB will bring forward the start of these works and expedite their completion.
Dr Yaacob Ibrahim also said Orchard Road, which flooded just last Saturday, is a new hotspot.
He said an urgent review of the Stamford Canal is being undertaken.
"We need to review the design of Stamford Canal and its adequacy altogether. I think the last July 17 storm caused us to be very concerned that this a major canal - diverting water all the way to the sea - is flooded. We need to take a serious view of what needs to be done," said Dr Yaacob.
Dr Yaacob said the incidence of flash floods is a challenge faced by cities around the world.
Recently, devastating floods in France, China and Japan inflicted significant damage and loss of lives.
As an island in the tropics, Singapore is especially prone to intense rain storms.
He said Singapore has seen the occurrence of three intense rainfall events over the past month, caused by Sumatra squalls and the influence of Typhoon Conson, and aggravated by the prevailing La Nina conditions.
Dr Yaacob said climate change could add a new level of complexity to this.
He said he empathised with the frustration and anxiety of those affected by the recent floods.
Dr Yaacob said PUB officers will continue to hold dialogues with affected residents and businesses and advise on possible improvement measures that they can take.
He said improvements will also be made to the alert system to provide early warning of possible floods to the public.
PUB will also be increasing the number of water level sensors installed in canals from 32 to 150 by next year.
Currently, when sensors installed in canals are activated by rising water levels, an SMS alert is sent to warn businesses in the vicinity.
Dr Yaacob said his ministry is studying if this system can be extended to members of public in low-lying areas, so that they too will have sufficient time to respond to a possible flood.
The minister said although it might not be realistic to expect Singapore to be completely flood-free, his ministry will work with the relevant agencies to carry out a systematic review of all major drainage systems and their design parameters, as a priority.
The review is expected to take several months, and all possible interventions will be considered within the constraints of cost effectiveness and competing uses for limited land in Singapore.
The government has invested some S$2 billion to upgrade Singapore's drainage infrastructure in the last 30 years.
As a result, flood-prone areas have been reduced from 3,200 hectares in the 1970s to a total of 66 hectares today. - CNA/vm/ls
PUB looking into early flood warning to public
By Mustafa Shafawi Channel NewsAsia 19 Jul 10;
SINGAPORE: Since the flood on Orchard on June 16, national water agency, PUB, has been engaging the managing agents of affected premises as well as the Orchard Road Business Association to recommend early warning systems and structural measures to limit the impact of flash floods on premises.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, Dr Yaacob Ibrahim told Parliament on Monday that these measures include flood barriers and road humps to protect basement car parks.
Building owners and managing committees have also been encouraged to improve their communication and evacuation procedures as part of their emergency response plans for flood incidents.
In addition, Dr Yaacob said PUB has invited the businesses to participate in its SMS alert system so that they will be alerted of high water levels detected by sensors in Stamford Canal.
He said PUB will look into extending this flood alert system to the public.
PUB will also be making the data from its water level sensors available to the public on a website.
The existing network of 32 water level sensors will be expanded to 90 sensors by the end of the year and 150 next year.
He said PUB is also working with the Traffic Police to put up more signboards to warn motorists of flooded roads to avoid. - CNA/vm
Government recommends floodgates for flood-prone buildings in Orchard Rd
Evelyn Lam and Sharon See Channel NewsAsia 19 Jul 10;
SINGAPORE : The government has recommended floodgates for buildings such as Liat Towers and Lucky Plaza that are vulnerable to floods.
Over at Wisma Atria, which already has such floodgates, staff are informed through SMS once the water level goes too high.
This allows them to shut the floodgates and keep the water out.
But such systems need to be customised based on the building's design.
It is estimated that it costs about $500,000 and takes at least a year to install. But it could be a faster solution than widening water channels.
"The overall intent, in terms of mitigation, is to try and enhance carrying capacity. To do that, it's not so straight forward. You have to factor in a lot of constraints; this is a built-up area," said Professor Chan Eng Soon, Dean of NUS Engineering Faculty. He is also the head of the PUB External Review Panel. - CNA /ls
Liat Towers shops waiting for a solution
Lim Wei Chean Straits Times 20 Jul 10;
FOR some stores at Liat Towers, the name of the game these days is 'wait and see'.
After being affected by the worst floods to hit Orchard Road in recent memory on June 16, the stores moved quickly to renovate and pledged to get back on track as soon as possible.
However, just as many were rounding the final stretch in their race to get ready, a major storm last Saturday wrecked their plans.
Though the flooding was less severe this time around - the water at Liat Towers reached ankle-height on Saturday - it damaged furnishings and some equipment, and some of the stores are now saying they will not go ahead with further work until the problem is sorted out.
A spokesman for the Orchard Road Business Association, Mr Steven Goh, said it is his understanding that some of the four stores there - a Starbucks coffee outlet, Wendy's fast-food restaurant, clothing retailer Massimo Dutti and high-end fashion house Hermes - are likely to remain shuttered for some time.
The Hermes store recently had new carpet laid for its basement level space, but it was damaged on Saturday.
Its upper floors remain open, but there is no indication when the rest of the store will be ready.
Hermes spokesman Joyce Ong said: 'This problem has repeated itself in less than a month.
'We will not be able to estimate when the ground floor will be opened until such time when the proper authorities resolve the bigger issue of drainage around the area.'
Massimo Dutti could not be reached for comment, while Starbucks managing director Jeff Miller said the store hopes to re-open by the middle of next month.
Wendy's was more optimistic, and intends to open by the end of the month, despite suffering some damage in Saturday's mini-flood.
Spokesman Goh Wee Ling said: 'Thank goodness the damage was minimal this time. Only some new cushions were soaked through.'
Meanwhile, the building management of Liat Towers held a meeting with officials from PUB, the national water agency, to discuss measures on how to prevent further flooding.
Mr Chik Hai Lam, the building's supervisor, said PUB's advice was to build a flood barrier.
He said the idea will be looked into. It might be expensive, he said, but added: 'No choice, we have to do something, if not our tenants suffer.'
One solution being looked into is a floodgate along the lines of that at Wisma Atria, where a street-level floodgate that can be closed to prevent water from flowing into the mall has been built.
PUB has also been collecting the contact numbers of building managers so it can send text messages to them when water in the Stamford Canal, which runs in front of Liat Towers, reaches a dangerously high level.
For now, Liat Towers is eschewing tech solutions to the problem and has resorted to an age-old barrier: sand bags.
When The Straits Times visited yesterday, a line of sand bags that stretched the length of the building's facade had been placed along the pedestrian walkway.
Mr Chik, who thought up the idea to deploy sand bags, said they would not stop water from flowing into the building, but he hoped they could slow the flow.
Early flood alerts for Orchard Rd businesses
They will be warned by SMS when waters start to rise; flood barriers recommended
Lee U-Wen and Felda Chay Business Times 20 Jul 10;
(SINGAPORE) Help is at hand for businesses in Orchard Road to make sure that they are better prepared to deal with flash floods.
The Public Utilities Board (PUB) has invited shopowners along the popular belt - a new flooding hot spot - to sign up for its existing SMS alert system so that they would be warned in advance of higher-than-usual water levels.
The national water agency is also studying how best to extend this service to the public soon, Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said yesterday in response to questions by at least 10 Members of Parliament.
Singapore has been drenched by three intense storms over the month. On June 16, Orchard Road was one of many areas submerged by a major flood, causing millions of dollars of damage to retailers. A long stretch between Cuscaden and Cairnhill Roads was the worst hit, with 30 cm of water.
A second, more widespread wave of floods struck on June 25, felling 25 trees and causing massive traffic jams.
Then, on Saturday, another heavy downpour flooded scores of areas including Orchard Road again, Bukit Timah and Telok Kurau.
As far as Orchard Road is concerned, Dr Yaacob said, PUB has been advising managing agents of affected premises, as well as the Orchard Road Business Association, to implement early-warning systems and suitable structural measures to minimise damage and disruption to businesses.
These include flood barriers and road humps to protect basement car parks. The management committees of buildings have also been urged to beef up their emergency response plans by improving their communication and evacuation procedures to deal with flood-related incidents.
The managements of Liat Towers and Lucky Plaza are among those that have been asked to instal flood barriers. Lucky Plaza has already engaged an engineer to look at installing floodgates.
Meanwhile, some of its retailers are still wary. Dave Chia, director of G Tech Mobile & Electronics, said that he suffered losses of around $19,000 in the floods on June 16 and last Saturday. He is seeking payouts from his insurers. 'Meanwhile, I have decided to put all my stock higher up so that if another flood comes my goods won't be affected,' he said.
Goh Wee Ling, a spokesman for US fast food chain Wendy's, whose Liat Towers outlet has been shut since the June 16 floods, said that the new measures would help restore confidence. 'Currently, our employees are worried that whenever it rains, we might face the same problem of flooding and that we may have to watch the flood waters disrupt our operations and cause us to close the business again.'
Dr Yaacob laid out several plans for the coming months. He said that the existing network of 32 water-level sensors would first be expanded to 90 by the end of the year, and then to 150 next year, and that PUB plans to publish the data from these sensors online. More signboards will also be put up to warn motorists to avoid flooded roads.
Dr Yaacob said that the authorities did not foresee the Orchard Road flooding on June 16, which he described as a learning experience for everyone. Official agencies will undertake an 'urgent review' of Stamford canal's design and adequacy, he said.
The canal catchment area - which is about 6km long and less than 1km wide - runs from Handy Road to just before Cuscaden Road. The total amount of rainflow during the two bursts on June 16 exceeded the canal's capacity, causing it to overflow. The rain also resulted in a large amount of debris that blocked parts of the canal.
Dr Yaacob said that PUB has an ongoing drainage improvement programme in many of the affected areas. And there are plans to improve the drainage to several major canals and drains, including Geylang River, Bukit Timah Canal and the Thomson and MacPerson road areas.
'Wherever possible, we will bring forward the start of these works and expedite their completion,' he told Parliament. He cited examples such as Joan Road, a flood-prone area previously, that was not affected by the unusually heavy rain because all the drainage projects there had been completed. Areas slated for upgrading soon include Geylang River and the downstream stretch of Rochor canal.
Over the past 30 years, the government has spent some $2 billion to upgrade Singapore's drainage infrastructure, Dr Yaacob said. This has helped reduce the size of the island's flood-prone areas from 3,200 hectares in the 1970s to just 66 ha today.
But it is 'unrealistic' to expect Singapore to be completely flood-free, even when all the new measures are implemented, he said: 'I empathise with the frustration and anxiety of those affected. PUB will continue to hold dialogues with affected residents and businesses, and advise on possible improvement measures they can take.'
A to-do list for PUB
Leong Wee Keat Today Online 20 Jul 10;
SINGAPORE - The flash floods may come again, but before they hit, warnings should reach the public first once a public alert system is implemented.
This is one of the key measures that will come in the wake of three floods that occurred within a month - including, in the words of Member of Parliament Lee Bee Wah (Ang Mo Kio GRC), the "infamous Orchard Road flood".
There will also be a review of all major drainage systems - in particular, "an urgent review" of the Stamford Canal - in the city-state's main shopping belt.
Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Dr Yaacob Ibrahim spelt out this to-do list for national water agency PUB yesterday.
But, even as he fielded questions from 11 MPs on the flooding issue in a 30-minute debate in Parliament, he also stressed it is not just the PUB's job alone to be prepared.
PUB stands ready to work with any building and residential management and, where needed, the Land Transport Authority, to implement flood barriers and road humps or to raise road levels.
For instance, it is in contact with some Bukit Timah condominiums and will work with managing agents of affected premises along Orchard Road.
Businesses are also invited to participate in an SMS alert system, so they can be forewarned of high water levels detected by sensors in Stamford Canal.
And around the island, data from water level sensors - which will be increased from 32 to 90 by the end of this year - will be made available to the public on PUB's website.
The message: Flood control measures should not be looked at "purely" from improvements to the drainage system.
Said Dr Yaacob: "The idea of protecting yourself, warning yourself early that flood may occur and what you can do, is an important part of the challenge."
But lessons have been learnt on PUB's part. Asked by Ms Lee about the Orchard Road flooding, Dr Yaacob said: "We must be more prompt in the way we remove the debris, and we've installed the gates to catch debris upstream."
Mdm Ho Geok Choo (West Coast GRC) asked if any action had been taken against private contractors in charge of maintenance and if existing fines were a sufficient deterrent.
To this, Dr Yaacob said PUB has not seen "any evidence to suggest that fines are inadequate or contractors cutting corners".
Maintenance checks have been stepped up, though, which led Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim to ask if that meant "checks were not done frequently up to now".
Dr Yaacob said quarterly checks prior to the June 16 floods were "adequate", and the authorities decided to increase checks due to the amount of debris that blocked Stamford Canal. "It's not an acknowledgement that something has gone wrong but which was something we learned as we go along and maybe these are the ways we could improve the work we do," he said.
The minister also told MPs (Holland-Bukit Timah GRC) Christopher De Souza and Liang Eng Hwa that PUB would expedite works in their wards, where possible. Improvements to Geylang River, Bukit Timah First Diversion Canal and Rochor Canal will begin soon.
Meanwhile, more rain is expected this week. Short-duration showers with thunder can be expected mostly in the late morning and afternoon, while showers with thunder and gusty winds can be expected between the pre-dawn hours and morning toward the end of the week.
Debris 'worsened' flood, but didn't cause it: PUB
Leong Wee Keat Today Online 20 Jul 10;
After blaming a blocked culvert along Stamford Canal for the flood at Orchard Road on June 16, national water agency PUB now says, after completing investigations, that the debris only "worsened" the flood but did not cause it.
Two bursts of rain 30 minutes apart had poured the equivalent of 1.5 Olympic-sized swimming pools of rainfall each minute into the middle section of the canal, between Delfi Orchard and Handy Road, which could only carry 1-1/3 Olympic-sized swimming pools each minute.
On Saturday, the canal overflowed again and "an urgent review" is underway.
But Member of Parliament Irene Ng (Tampines GRC) wondered if rapid urban development had reduced the island's ability to handle run-off from strong rainfall.
Environment and Water Resources Minister Yaacob Ibrahim said PUB would have to check that there is adequate drainage before any development can be approved: "We've not come across any incident that, because of an existing development, flooding is a result of that."
When Non-Constituency MP Sylvia Lim asked about the Marina Barrage's role in alleviating floods, Dr Yaacob said it had operated effectively to avert further flooding in downtown areas such as Chinatown during the three recent floods.
"In the case of Orchard Road, the canals are way upstream, and we may not have enough capacity to drain all the water as quickly as possible ... This has to be studied as a system and not just as a barrage, together with all the drains," he said.
Saying the authorities cannot "conclusively link these events to climate change", he told the House the Government will continue to study this "complex and evolving subject".
For now, a National Environment Agency study projects that by 2100, the average daily temperature could increase by between 2.7°C to 4.2°C; the mean sea level around Singapore could rise by 24 to 65 centimetres.
Estimated claims from June 16 flood total $8m, of which $3.8m are for vehicle damage
Samuel Ee Business Times 20 Jul 10;
(SINGAPORE) While it is too early to assess last weekend's flood damage to vehicles and property, the signs are insurers may not have to pay out more than the $8 million in claims unleashed by water woes not long ago in June.
A spokesman for the General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA) said yesterday it is premature to estimate losses for the latest flood on Saturday, July 17.
He did say, however, that estimated claims for property damage and business interruption caused by the earlier June 16 flood - which mainly affected the Orchard Road area - currently amount to $4.2 million. And estimated claims for vehicle damage from that flood are about $3.8 million.
They total up to $8 million. But the spokesman said: 'This is only an estimate as of now because more claims could be filed later.'
The GIA represents all general insurance companies in Singapore.
The spokesman also revealed the estimated claims from a flood that affected the Bukit Timah area on Nov 19, 2009 currently stand at about $4 million.
Estimated claims for property damage and business interruption during that downpour amount to $1.2 million for now, while estimated claims for vehicle damage have come to $2.9 million so far.
GIA president Derek Teo described the above claims submitted by GIA members as 'raw numbers'. 'The actual numbers will come in later when the repairs are done, but they should be quite close,' Mr Teo said.
As for Saturday morning's torrent, anecdotal evidence seems to suggest the losses may not exceed those suffered on June 16. Back then, a two-hour pre-dawn cloudburst drenched homes, shops and basement car-parks in the Bukit Timah, Upper Thomson and Telok Kurau areas.
In the latest incident, 'shophouses in low-lying areas in Upper Thomson were hit - not the more expensive shops in Orchard Road,' said a senior executive who declined to be named. 'I don't think it will be worse than last month's flooding. Maybe about the same.'
The owner of a mid-size insurance agency agreed, saying those who were washed out in June would have learned their lesson and been more alert during last weekend's incident.
He pointed out that because the latest heavy rain came down when people were asleep and most vehicles were parked, claims could rise.
'Still, it may not be as bad for insurers when all is said and done,' he said, explaining that generally, when a vehicle is under water there is a high chance it is a total loss.
'The insurer will compensate the owner with the car's market value,' he said. 'But every car also has a residual value in the form of COE and scrap rebate. So perhaps an insurer can still recover half of the claim paid out. It's not all good news but it's still a bit of good news among all that bad news.'
May Wong Channel NewsAsia 20 Jul 10;
SINGAPORE: The number of fallen trees dropped by up to 70 percent last year compared to nine years ago.
Last year, some 1,000 cases of tree failures were reported.
The number is 2,100 less than that in year 2000.
The number of tree failures in June this year however jumped by 170 percent to 240 cases, compared to the same month last year.
In a written reply to a question asked in Parliament, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan said the increase was due largely to the adverse weather.
He said NParks is reviewing its tree management programme in response to increasingly unpredictable weather conditions.
He added that it will also explore new technology to better assess the condition of trees.
NParks also carries out regular tree pruning to remove weak or overgrown branches.
-CNA/ir
Yahoo News 19 Jul 10;
JAKARTA (AFP) – Indonesian police have arrested two men on Sumatra island with six tiger skulls and other parts from the critically endangered species, an official said Monday.
The two were held Saturday in Pekanbaru city of Riau province as they picked up a package containing the skulls, five pieces of skin and bones, the provincial conservation agency head Trisunu Danis Woro said.
"It seems that the tigers have been killed a few days ago," he told AFP adding that the package was delivered from Aceh province on the northern tip of the island.
"The men are not the main actor. Someone has ordered them to pick up the package," he said.
There was no mention on the package of the sender's identity and police were still hunting the culprits behind the poaching network, he said.
Conservationists estimate there are fewer than 400 Sumatran tigers left in the wild because of habitat loss and poaching.
In June Indonesian police arrested a man who allegedly poisoned and skinned an endangered Sumatran tiger in a state-owned zoo.
Representatives from 13 "tiger-range countries" met last week in Bali and drew up a declaration in a bid to save the big cats from extinction.
The Star 20 Jul 10;
PETALING JAYA: Poor enforcement and management of sand mining activities in Paya Indah Wetlands, Dengkil, have caused many species of birds and wildlife to leave the area due to the noise and dust, said an environmental group.
Landskap Malaysia said in an unsigned statement distributed during a press conference that the sand excavation works had breached the buffer zone, polluting the water and threatening the aquatic habitat.
It said the activities were also causing the water level in the lake to drop due to sedimentation.
“We urge Selangor to stop the sand mining immediately. Don’t take this lightly or we may stand to lose the wetlands.
“Ecological experts need to be sent to assess the damage before preparing a detailed report on how to rehabilitate the area,” board of governors member Datuk Yahya A. Jalil told reporters at Landskap Malaysia’s office here yesterday.
He also urged political leaders and government department heads to see for themselves what was actually going on in the wetlands.
“The laws should be reviewed to impose stricter punishment on the sand miners,” he said, claiming that “complaints had so far fallen on deaf ears”.
Another board member, Datuk Ismail Ngah, said non-governmental organisations should be consulted before approval for the sand mining activities was given.
He pointed out that those who prepared the Environmental Management Plan for the sand mining activities should be responsible in executing and managing these.
Ismail said Landskap Malaysia would also team up with other NGOs and environmentalists to conduct its own investigation.
Record levels of poaching are endangering survival of rhinoceros in South Africa
Alex Duval Smith The Observer 18 Jul 10;
South African wildlife experts are calling for urgent action against poachers after the last female rhinoceros in a popular game reserve near Johannesburg bled to death after having its horn hacked off.
Wildlife officials say poaching for the prized horns has now reached an all-time high. "Last year, 129 rhinos were killed for their horns in South Africa. This year, we have already had 136 deaths," said Japie Mostert, chief game ranger at the 1,500-hectare Krugersdorp game reserve.
The gang used tranquilliser guns and a helicopter to bring down the nine-year-old rhino cow. Her distraught calf was moved to a nearby estate where it was introduced to two other orphaned white rhinos.
Wanda Mkutshulwa, a spokeswoman for South African National Parks, said investigations into the growing number of incidents had been shifted to the country's organised crime unit. "We are dealing with very focused criminals. Police need to help game reserves because they are not at all equipped to handle crime on such an organised level,'' she said.
Rhino horn consists of compressed keratin fibre – similar to hair – and in many Asian cultures it is a fundamental ingredient in traditional medicines.
Mkutshulwa said poaching was also rife in the Kruger Park. Five men were arrested there in the past week alone – four of whom were caught with two bloodied rhino horns, AK-47 assault rifles, bolt-action rifles and an axe.
Krugersdorp game reserve attracts at least 200,000 visitors every year. It is also close to a private airport, which may have been used by the poachers.
"The exercise takes them very little time," Mostert said. "They first fly over the park in the late afternoon to locate where the rhino is grazing. Then they return at night and dart the animal from the air. The tranquilliser takes less than seven minutes to act.
"They saw off the horns with a chainsaw. They do not even need to switch off the rotors of the helicopter. We do not hear anything because our houses are too far away. The animal dies either from an overdose of tranquilliser or bleeds to death."
The committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) warned last year that rhino poaching had reached an all-time high. The Cites conference in Geneva in July 2009 heard that Asia's economic expansion had fuelled the market in rhino horns. The horns are also used in the Middle East to make handles for ornamental daggers. Cites said demand for them had begun to soar in recent years. In the five years up to 2005, an average of only 36 rhinos had been killed each year.
Conservationists estimate that there are only 18,000 black and white rhinos in Africa, down from 65,000 in the 1970s. Mostert, who has been a ranger for 20 years, said the animals fetch up to 1m rand (£85,000) at game auctions and cannot be insured.
Cites has praised South Africa for its action against poachers. Two weeks ago, a Vietnamese man was jailed for 10 years for trying to smuggle horns out of the country.
• This article was amended after publication on 18 July to correct errors that appeared in the paper edition of the Observer
Michael McCarthy The Independent 19 Jul 10;
The frog-killing disease which is sweeping parts of the world is now wiping out amphibian species before they have even been described, new research has shown.
Dramatic declines in amphibian populations in the Americas and Australia have been known since the late 1980s, exemplified by the disappearance of the famous golden toad of the cloud forests of Costa Rica, which has not been seen since 1989. At first the declines were a mystery, but 10 years ago it was realised that many of the disappearing frog, toad and salamander populations were being killed off by a fungal disease called chytridiomycosis. It was thought that global warming might be helping the disease to establish itself.
Now a before-and-after monitoring programme established in Costa Rica's neighbouring state of Panama has shown just how devastating the fungal affliction is when it sweeps through amphibian communities.
American scientists working at Panama's Omar Torrijos National Park in El Copé did a detailed survey of all the frogs present between 1998 and 2003, before chytridiomycosis arrived, and identified 63 species. The disease then swept through the area, and when a repeat survey was done between 2006 and 2008, no fewer than 25 species had disappeared, according to a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
But there was more bad news, as researchers used a more precise technique known as DNA barcoding to establish that among the frogs which had previously been catalogued, there were more species than they thought – in fact there were an extra 11 unnamed or "candidate" species. And of these 11, another five had been wiped out by the fungus, giving a total of 30 species lost, before they had even been properly described by science.
"It's sadly ironic that we are discovering new species nearly as fast as we are losing them," said Andrew Crawford, formerly of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and now at the University of the Andes in Colombia. "Our DNA barcode data reveal new species even at this relatively well-studied site, yet the field sampling shows that many of these species new to science are already gone here."
Professor Karen Lips of the University of Maryland, who did the original survey of the frogs on the site, said that the areas where the disease had passed through were "like graveyards". She said: "There's a void to be filled and we don't know what will happen next."
Biologists are increasingly alarmed at the numbers of species disappearing. It is thought that more than 120 may have become extinct since 1980 and the Global Amphibian Assessment lists more than 400 as critically endangered. "If a disease were wiping out species of mammals at this rate, people would be freaking out," the Smithsonian Institute's Beth King said yesterday. "Just imagine if it was whales and rabbits."
It is now thought that between a third and half of the world's 6,000 amphibian species could be wiped out in the coming decades by the disease's chytrid fungus, which kills by attacking the skin of frogs, through which they breathe. Warmer temperatures likely to have been caused by climate change appear to make its effects worse.
Before and After: Deadly Fungus Wipes Out Amphibians
Andrea Thompson LiveScience.com Yahoo News 19 Jul 10;
A deadly fungus has been wiping out the world's amphibian populations, but just how many species are being lost to the disease onslaught wasn't fully known. A new study that documented a Panamanian amphibian community before and after the fungus swept through shows the significant impact on species diversity.
Dramatic declines in amphibian numbers have been reported for more than 40 years now from four continents; the culprit behind the collapse is a fungus called Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, which causes the disease chytridiomycosis in amphibians. The rapid spread of the disease - about 19 miles (30 kilometers) per year in the Central American highlands - has led to species extinctions and extirpations (the local extinction of a species).
Scientists had studied areas devastated by the disease after it swept through and conducted dramatic rescues of frogs in areas that had yet to be hit, but no systematic before-and-after snapshots of a particular area had been taken to document what amphibian species were present before the arrival of the fungus and what species survived the wave of disease.
In the 1980s, after the disappearance of Costa Rica's golden frogs, herpetologist Karen Lips, an associate professor at the University of Maryland in College Park, set up a monitoring program at as-yet untouched sites in neighboring Panama's Omar Torrijos National Park in El Cope.
Before-and-after shots
Lips and her colleagues conducted seven years' worth of surveys before the arrival of the fungus in El Cope in 2004, as well as surveys after the disease had wiped out many frogs.
The pre-decline surveys identified 63 species of amphibians within just a 1.5-square-mile (4-square-kilometer) area. After 2004, 25 of those species had disappeared from the site. As of 2008, none had reappeared.
An additional nine species saw an 85 percent to 99 percent decline in their abundance.
To augment the surveys and identify any so-called "cryptic species" - those that look very similar to a recognized species but are in fact a separate species, meaning they don't reproduce with the known species - scientists used a genetic technique called DNA barcoding.
This technique finds DNA sequences unique to a given species. With it, scientists estimated that another 11 unnamed species had been present at the site, five of which were wiped out by the arrival of the fungus.
"It's sadly ironic that we are discovering new species nearly as fast as we are losing them," said study team member Andrew Crawford, a former postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama and a member of the CÃrculo Herpetológico de Panamá, now at the University of the Andes in Colombia.
"Our DNA barcode data reveal new species even at this relatively well-studied site, yet the field sampling shows that many of these species new to science are already gone here," he added.
Crawford, Lips and other researchers recently published a detailed description of two previously unknown species of frogs in Panama, which are threatened by the fungus.
Huge loss
Because El Cope is one of the better-studied sites and so many species that were lost had been undescribed, it is likely that the loss of undescribed species in other areas is far greater, the researchers noted.
The loss of so many frog species, known and unknown, not only threatens the rich biodiversity of a given area and the functioning of the local ecosystem, but it also destroys the genetic data that helps scientists learn how species have adapted to change and evolved in the past.
The researchers compared this loss to the great fire that destroyed the famous ancient library of Alexandria and the priceless, one-of-a-kind texts it held.
Their findings are detailed in the July 19 edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Fidelis E Satriastanti Jakarta Globe 20 Jul 10;
Bali, Indonesia, Hundreds of scientists from around the world gathered on Monday in Bali, where Vice President Boediono opened the Association for Tropical Biology and Conservation Conference, the longest-running event of its kind in the world.
Attendees at the conference, which runs through Friday, will use the backdrop of Indonesia, home to some of the most spectacular biological diversity on earth, to discuss issues related to tropical biology and conservation, including ways for local biologists and politicians to work together to protect the country’s rich biodiversity.
Teguh Priyono, a taxonomist from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), said he hoped the conference would help policy makers wake up to the importance of protecting biodiversity.
“We hope that this meeting raises awareness about the issues of climate change and biodiversity, so that policy makers will consider scientific research when making their decisions,” he said.
Terry Sunderland, an expert at the Bogor-based Center for International Forestry Research, said forests were mainly valued for their timber and land, not for their biodiversity.
“People take biodiversity for granted,” Sunderland said. “We can’t estimate things like natural capital until we understand the value of it. It’s like we jump from the 18th floor and don’t realize we’re in crisis mode until we reach the ninth floor. It’s the same thing with biodiversity.”
He said that this lack of awareness could lead to very serious consequences.
A recent study by the United Nations Environment Program concluded that more than one billion people rely on products, income and nutrition derived from biologically diverse forests and that 75 percent of the world’s population depends on health care products that originate in these same forests.
In economic terms, the annual global trade in non-timber forest products adds up to $90 billion, and products derived from the genetic material of shrub and tree species are worth an estimated $500 billion per year.
Based on the UNEP study, annual losses due to the destruction of ecosystems amount to $5 trillion.
Indonesia is home to more than 30,000 recorded species of plants and over 3,000 mammal, bird, reptile and amphibian species.
Teguh said this year’s conference in Bali was a stepping-stone to talks on biodiversity scheduled for Nagoya, Japan, this October, where Indonesia’s natural resources will be a main topic.
Reuters AlertNet 19 Jul 10;
BEIJING, July 19 (Reuters) - China's massive Three Gorges dam is facing a major test of the flood control function that was one of the key justifications for its construction, as torrential rains swell the rivers that feed it, state media said on Monday.
Much of China has been suffering flooding and landslides after weeks of torrential downpours. At least 146 people have died since the start of this month, as a result of the rains, and another 40 are missing.
The peak flow of water hitting the giant reservoir on the Yangtze River, China's longest, will be higher than in 1998 when devastating floods killed over 4,000 people and forced some 18 million to relocate, the official China Daily said.
Engineers have raised the rate at which water is being sluiced out of the reservoir, to make room for new waves of floodwaters expected this week.
"The levels of this flooding will be higher than the historic floods of 1954 and 1998," Wei Shanzhong, Head of the Flood Control and Drought Administration office for the Yangtze River, told state Television.
"The rain in the gorges area will have an immediate affect on the water flow, to around 70,000 cubic metres (per second)."
Overall however, the flood this year is expected to be shorter than the 1998 disaster.
When the flood-tide hits, locks that allow shipping on the reservoir up to the city of Chongqing, a southwestern hub, will be closed if the water comes faster than 45,000 cubic metres per second, the China Daily report added.
The dam was given the go-ahead by the government in 1992, against unusually visible domestic opposition -- with environmentalists warning the reservoir could turn into a cesspool of raw sewage and industrial chemicals trapped behind the dam, and feared silt could also cause problems.
The government justified its decision to push ahead by citing massive clean power generation and flood control were cited as the reasons it was pushed through. If it fails in the latter task it will add to concerns about the dam's overall cost and impact.
However even if the dam succeeds in its role of holding back deadly floodwaters there may still be problems downstream where continuous rains have also weakened dikes. Further north at least 20 people are missing after a landslide last night in a mountainous corner of Shaanxi province, around 400 km (250 miles) from the provincial capital of Xian.
Altogether over 38 million people have been affected and over 1.3 million have had to be evacuated, because of the weather, the Ministry of Civil Affairs was quoted as saying by the China Daily. (Reporting by Emma Graham-Harrison; Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)
Chinese authorities launch clean-up operation to tackle 50 sq km slick following explosion of two crude oil pipelines in Dalian
Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk 19 Jul 10;
Chinese authorities have closed a major oil terminal and dispatched a flotilla of dispersal vessels to tackle a 50 square kilometre slick of crude that was released after a pipeline explosion near Dalian.
Amid fears that the spill could contaminate local beaches, maritime safety officials have also put in place a 9km long floating boom to try to keep the seepage from coastal waters near China's largest deep-water port.
The oil started to leak into the sea late on Friday night when a pipe conveying crude oil from a Liberian ship to a storage tank combusted and sparked a second explosion at another pipeline at Dalian Xingang oil port.
About 2,000 firefighters were dispatched from the city and neighbouring areas to tackle the blaze, which was eventually brought under control after 15 hours.
The Dalian authorities have dispatched 20 vessels to spray dispersal agents on the slick and to soak up oil with panels of absorbent felt.
No casualties were reported, but China National Petroleum Corporation - the country's biggest oil firm - closed the port and its subsidiary, PetroChina, has reduced output at a nearby refinery.
Although the valves have been shut and the leak has been stemmed, the environmental impact of the oil is still being felt.
Local media have run pictures showing black water near the scene of the accident and murky brown slicks snaking further out to sea. Fishermen are concerned that their catches - which are already sharply reduced due to over-fishing in recent years - may be affected.
Considerably smaller in scale than the BP leak in the Gulf of Mexico, the clean-up operation at Dalian is estimated to take just a week.
But the consequences are likely to linger far longer. Zhao Zhangyuan, of the China Research Academy of Environment Sciences estimated the ecological damage would take 10 years to repair.
"It is not possible to completely clear all the oil. Some of it will break down and disperse in the water so its invisible influence will continue for many years," he told the News Morning Post.
China rushes to clean up oil spill
Yahoo News 19 Jul 10;
BEIJING (AFP) – Authorities in northeastern China have mobilised 1,000 vessels to help clean up an oil spill in the Yellow Sea caused by a weekend pipeline explosion and fire, the government said on Monday.
Dozens of oil-skimming vessels were working to remove the slick off the port city of Dalian following Friday night's accident which spilled an estimated 1,500 tonnes of crude into the sea, press reports said.
Another 1,000 local fishing vessels have been ordered to aid the clean-up operation, the Dalian government said in a statement on its website.
Authorities predicted the clean-up would take 10 days.
The worst of the spill, which initially covered 50 square kilometres (19 square miles), had been reduced to 45 square kilometres as of Monday, the official China Central Television (CCTV) reported on its news website.
But a dark brown oil slick had stretched over at least 183 square kilometres of ocean, the state-run Xinhua news agency said.
The Dalian government said the last remnants of the fire had finally been put out and it declared a "decisive victory" against the spill, but did not explicitly say whether it had been completely halted.
Two pipelines exploded at an oil storage depot belonging to China National Petroleum Corp near Dalian's Xingang Harbour in Liaoning province, triggering a spectacular blaze that burned throughout the weekend. No deaths or injuries have been reported.
Authorities have since limited ship traffic at Dalian port to allow the clean-up operations to proceed, according to Xinhua.
CNPC is the country's biggest oil company.
Media reports quoted Dalian authorities saying investigators were still trying to determine the cause of the accident, which occurred after a Libyan-flagged tanker discharged its load at the port.
The tanker made it away from the oil storage facility safely, reports said.
A unprecedented effort to set aside huge swathes of Canada's boreal forest includes--for the first time--global warming mitigation as a key objective
Christopher Pala Scientific American 20 Jul 10;
YELLOWKNIFE, Northwest Territories – The scale of the conservation effort is staggering: 470,000 square miles – half the size of the Louisiana Purchase, five times the size of the U.S. national park system – forever shielded from logging, mining and damming.
It is part of an ongoing and unprecedented drive to protect Canada's northern boreal forests, peat bogs, wetlands and tundra – a drive that is also changing how land managers view their stewardship, civic leaders approach economic growth and companies view their bottom line. And for the first time, some of the protections have a climate component.
"It’s our gift to future generations," said Alan Latourelle, chief executive officer of Parks Canada, the agency managing the nation's parks, which is in the process of doubling their size. "We’re the last generation that can do that."
Preserving wildlife, notably migratory birds and the iconic woodland caribou, is the paramount purpose. But climate change mitigation is part of the equation: Canada's peat bogs and forests, if left undisturbed, store a tremendous amount of carbon – 233 billion tons, according to some estimates, or almost one third of the carbon stored in the Earth's atmosphere. More than 80 percent of that is stored within the country's boreal region, and politicians are beginning to write protections for that carbon into the law.
"This is the first time in Canada, and quite possibly the world, where a government is creating a law that intends to protect carbon," said Janet Sumner, president of the Wildlands League, an Ontario non-profit.
The conservation drive, which started over a decade ago, is being carried out on separate tracks by the three provinces of Ontario, Quebec and Manitoba; the Northwest Territories; a key logging industry association; environmentalists and Parks Canada.
The myriad parts are working toward two main goals: The first will preserve half of Canada’s northern boreal region, about 470,000 square miles, by creating a network of parks off-limits to loggers, miners and other developers. The second will ensure that the other half is developed under stricter ecological standards. The two goals involve almost 940,000 square miles – more than a quarter of Canada's land mass. And while only a small fraction of the necessary regulations are in place now, conservationists hope to have the land fully protected within 15 years.
"Canada is setting a world record in the contest to save the world’s last great forests," said Steve Kallick, Director of the Pew Environment Group’s International Boreal Conservation Campaign. "With this much of the forest protected, there’s going to be a natural regulator on the throttle of growth that will avoid the kind of climb, stall and crash cycle of development that you typically see on frontiers."
A canoe trip on the north arm of the Great Slave Lake, deep in the Northwest Territories, offers a glimpse of what this means practically. Jason Charlwood, a conservation specialist with Ducks Unlimited, points to hundreds of water birds, freshly arrived from the south, sitting on one of the spring’s last pieces of floating ice. The cluster includes majestic tundra swans and red-faced sandhill cranes, along with green-wing teals, lesser scaups, pintails, northern shovelers, widgeons, and the ubiquitous green-necked mallards.
"This place is really important for them" he whispered, noting that the water is full of algae and small insects that migratory birds gobble up to give them the strength to reach their nesting grounds in the tundra farther north.
As a result, conservationists and the Tlicho nation have asked the federal government to designate this spot, and the 255 square miles around it, as the North Arm National Wilderness Area. In three years, the place is expected to be fully protected.
The threat here is development that could follow the construction of a pipeline likely to be built along the Mackenzie River from the Great Slave Lake to rich gas fields near its estuary in the Arctic Ocean. The result: While aboriginal hunting will continue, any development activity that is allowed cannot interfere with the conservation of wildlife.
The seeds for the conservation effort were planted in 1996 a few miles away in Yellowknife, when the Northwest Territories began a process call the Protected Area Strategy. The aim was to turn nearly a quarter of the territories' land into wilderness areas. The process brings together First Nations, as Native Canadians are called here, conservation biologists, business interests and various layers of government. The first three agree on what to save, and the governments enshrine that into law.
The conservation effort is a marked departure from the paradigm that has driven preservation to date in Canada's southern half – a philosophy that caribou biologist Justina Ray, head of the Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, describes as "develop what we want and try to salvage the best of what’s left." Whether it will work depends on how it’s implemented, she adds.
Overall, the effort recasts how one of the world's last intact ecosystems will be preserved and managed. All indications suggest the northern latitudes are changing far more rapidly than expected in response to climate change. As more of the boreal opens to development, the protections become crucial, proponents say.
One of the package's more progressive elements is its inclusion of carbon mitigation. Ontario explicitly mentions carbon sequestration and storage as an objective in its conservation plan. And an accord between a loggers trade group, the Forest Products Association of Canada, and environmental groups calls on industry to reduce greenhouse gas "along the full life cycle from forest to end of product life."
The effort does have its detractors.
In Ontario, logging communities have denounced the Far North Act as harmful to their livelihood. Some First Nations object to a secret deal between loggers and environmentalists.
But logging is in some ways a sidebar. Proponents say the Far North Act will have little effect on the timber industry because it affects an area farther north where trees are relatively small, grow less densely and are not economical to harvest.
Rather, the main threat to the region is the so-called Ring of Fire, an area holding a wealth of minerals waiting to be mined as warmer weather and depletion of cheaper sources increase their attractiveness. The new law ensures that such development, when it happens, will do the least possible damage to wildlife and carbon stocks, proponents say.
"Conservation on this scale," said Pew's Kallick, "helps assure that growth cannot overdraft ecological balances, that an ample reserve of natural resource capital will remain in the bank for future generations to use."
Christopher Pala is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist who has traveled the world covering various topics. He is author of The Oddest Place on Earth: Rediscovering the North Pole. DailyClimate.org is a nonprofit news service that covers climate change.
This article originally appeared at The Daily Climate, the climate change news source published by Environmental Health Sciences, a nonprofit media company.
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