Best of our wild blogs: 12 Feb 11

Water quality monitoring course coming up: 1 Jun 2011 now open to the public too! from Water Quality in Singapore

The beginning of another breeding season?
from Bird Ecology Study Group

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Trees come crashing down at Mandai after heavy rain

Straits Times 12 Feb 11;

STRONG winds and heavy rain brought several trees and branches crashing down along Mandai Road yesterday evening, with some of them falling onto cars, causing a kilometre-long jam.

Volunteer worker Susan Chee, 52, was driving by when a tree fell onto a street lamp and sent it crashing onto her Toyota Picnic. She escaped unhurt, but the rear of her car was badly damaged.

Fallen branches also hit taxi driver Seet Miow Him's windscreen, causing it to crack.

'It was such a shock, the branches just rained down,' Mr Seet, 61, said in Mandarin. 'Luckily, I am okay.'

The heavy rain started just past 4pm and lasted about two hours. The fallen trees, which caused a jam on Mandai Road in the direction of the Singapore Zoo, were cleared at about 7.30pm, and smooth traffic flow resumed by 8pm.

The National Environment Agency Meteorological Services Division's three-day weather outlook predicts afternoon showers across various parts of Singapore for the next three days.

Storm fells trees, disrupts traffic
Today Online 12 Feb 11;

A storm on Friday swept down several trees along Mandai Road and Seletar Expressway, forcing traffic to slow to a crawl during evening peak hours. Operations executive Ling Kok Ann, 41, who was driving along Mandai Road at around 5pm, told MediaCorp two of the three lanes were unpassable because of the fallen trees. Other callers to the MediaCorp News Hotline 6822 2268 said the downpour also badly affected visibility, causing speeds on the roads to fall below 20km per hour between 5pm and 7pm. The National Parks Board said some trees fell along the SLE, near the Woodlands Avenue 12 exit, and Mandai Road, just before Mandai Lake Road. The trees were eventually cleared by 7.30pm. Photo by Ernest Chua

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Electric car firm pulls plug on Singapore

Tesla exits after failing to secure 'green' tax incentives, making its cars unviable here
Christopher Tan Straits Times 12 Feb 11;

AMERICAN electric car company Tesla Motors is pulling the plug on plans to market its zippy, battery-powered sports cars to the wealthy and environmentally hip here - just six months after setting up an office at Suntec to do just that.

It will pack up next week, without having sold a single car.

The Straits Times understands that the company is pulling out because it failed to secure 'green' tax incentives for its cars, making them unviable.

The two-seater Tesla Roadster, which runs entirely on lithium-ion batteries that can be charged from a normal household socket, would cost $400,000 to $500,000 without the incentives.

That is in the ballpark of cars like the Porsche 911 and Maserati Granturismo.

But had the tax break been granted, the car would have cost around $250,000 or less.

The Economic Development Board, which is in charge of approving the tax break, said Tesla had not met 'technical requirements'.

A Tesla insider said the company had garnered about a dozen bookings, most on condition that the tax break be granted. A few were willing to buy the car without the tax break, but Tesla said the numbers were too small to justify its presence here.

One of the willing was businessman Melvin Tan, 38, who said: 'Too bad. I really quite liked the car.'

Tesla Motors Asia-Pacific director Kevin Yu told The Straits Times: 'Unfortunately, Singapore has not turned out to be the market we hoped it would be.

'Given the Roadster's limited production run and the enthusiastic support from both customers and governments for the vehicle in other markets, Tesla has decided to focus our limited resources elsewhere.'

He cited some examples of 'enthusiastic support'. They include Japan, which is granting 2.61million yen (S$40,000) in cash rebate for each Tesla buyer; Hong Kong and Malaysia, where electric vehicles are tax exempt; and various cities in Europe and America, which have similar tax breaks of varying amounts.

Mr Yu added: 'We do hope that at some point in the future conditions will be right for re-entry...we have no plans at this point.'

Meanwhile, Singapore's plan to test-bed a fleet of electric cars is still stuck in the slow lane.

Public infrastructure for charging the cars is expected to be up and running only in the middle of the year, though the first batch of cars has arrived.

Cycle & Carriage has brought in a fleet of 10 Mitsubishi iMiEV hatchbacks - the first of 25 committed here for the test-bed. The cars, which are set to be granted tax breaks, will sit in a warehousing area for the next half-year or so.

Nissan and Renault said they hope to bring in electric models later this year, but are awaiting the green light regarding the tax rebate.

The effort to bring in a trial fleet of electric cars - to test their durability in a hot, humid environment - started several years ago.

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Take steps for Singapore to go green: Budget 2011 wish list

Straits Times 12 Feb 11;

MR EDWIN Khew is chief executive and managing director of environmental firm IUT Global, which converts food waste, animal manure and organic sludge into electricity and bio-compost. The 61-year-old also heads the Sustainable Energy Association of Singapore, a trade group for firms operating in the green energy sector.

What his problems are

'It is a tough sell to persuade companies to be green and to segregate their waste for recycling and expect them to pay the same cost as what they are currently paying [for disposal] or even more.

'All expect discounts...They will do it only if it helps them save costs - a very pragmatic but myopic view with respect to the environment.'

Mr Khew says that the lack of recycling laws means his company cannot collect from the many places that generate food waste, such as hawker centres.

What he wants

'I hope that the Government will pass a recycling law very soon requiring industrial, commercial and institutional organisations to segregate and recycle all recyclables including food waste. This is the only way Singapore and Singaporeans will get on board and recycle and minimise waste going into our incinerators.'

He also says the Government could raise the costs charged on businesses when they send trash to be incinerated. 'This will ensure all businesses are incentivised to segregate and recycle. Otherwise, if it is cheaper to throw things away to be incinerated, people will continue to do so even with recycling laws in place.

'Meanwhile, I hope to see a budget set aside to help fledgling technology companies in the environmental and sustainable energy sector to support them in their start-up phase so that they can build and operate a model facility in Singapore, and grow enough to win projects in the regional markets.'

What experts say

Industry watchers agree that companies and consumers should be given a nudge by the Government to adopt more environmentally-friendly practices.

Ms Latha Mathew, tax partner at Ernst & Young, says the Government can help defray the initial costs for companies that want to find out their carbon footprints. It could provide enhanced tax deductions for firms that engage experts to come up with appraisals and recommendations.

Firms that take firm steps to save energy could be given grants or rebates.

Ms Mathew says that companies that invest in energy-efficient equipment could be given an investment allowance of 150 per cent. The additional 50 per cent deduction will supplement the current 100 per cent accelerated capital allowance for certified energy-saving equipment.

PwC Singapore tax partner David Sandison suggests the Government could provide funding for organisations engaged in environmentally-friendly waste management initiatives.

Both Mr Sandison and Ms Mathew suggest extending the Green Vehicle Rebate scheme, which will expire at the end of this year. They also suggest tax incentives for improvements designed to make homes more energy efficient.

Ms Mathew adds that the clean technology sector is one worth developing. She feels the Government could consider boosting research grants for the industry and improving tax deductions for angel investors and venture capitalists.

JONATHAN KWOK

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Haze in Indonesia: Light smog hangs over Dumai

Antara 10 Feb 11;

Dumai, Sumatera (ANTARA News) - Most of areas in Dumai, Riau, is covered by light smog which was presumed to have come from forest and land fires.

Indra (27), a local resident, said here Thursday the light smog started to be seen since Wednesday (Feb 9) from midnight until Thursday morning.

"The smog looked light but I hope the local government will pay more attention to this situation and can take early preventive measures against the thickness of the fog," he said.

In the meantime, another local resident, Devi (26), said she was worried about the unhealthy condition and hoped the government would immediately distribute masks among the public in anticipating Acute Respiratory Infection (AIR).

"Fog can cause ARI. Therefore, I hope the masks will be distributed among residents soon to prevent the outbreak of health problems ," she said.

An ANTARA reporter saw light smog covering most parts of Dumai especially the city`s streets.

Earlier, an officer of the Riau Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG), Marzuki, had said at least 80 hot spots had been detected by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since Tuesday (Feb 2). In Riau, at least 29 hot spots had been found and two of them were discovered in Dumai.

Marzuki said the hot spots had increased probably because the air temperature had risen to 32 degrees Celsius.

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Simple changes in fishing gear can save tens of thousands of endangered marine turtles in the Coral Triangle

WWF 11 Feb 11;

Thousands of endangered marine turtles could be saved in the Coral Triangle region if the fishing industry started using innovative and responsible fishing gear, a WWF analysis shows.

Towards the Adoption of Circle Hooks to Reduce Fisheries Bycatch in the Coral Triangle Region makes a strong case for governments, fishing organizations and fisheries to start implementing Circle Hooks.

“All it takes is a simple change in fishing gear to help reduce marine turtle bycatch while upholding more efficient and responsible fishing practices,” says Keith Symington, WWF Coral Triangle Bycatch Strategy Leader.

Circle Hooks are simple yet innovative fishing gear that are sharply curved back in a circular shape and have demonstrated a significant reduction in the hooking rate of marine turtles in longline fisheries by as much as 80 percent compared to traditional hooks.

Because of its round shape and inward-pointing sharp end, Circle Hooks are found to be less harmful to turtles if swallowed and do not cause much internal damage once pulled out, as opposed to currently used slimmer hooks with a more exposed pointed end that can cause severe damage to turtles when accidentally ingested.

Studies show that shifting to Circle Hooks maintains previous catch rates of target species at the very least or generates an even higher catch rate of target species in the majority of cases.

Due to their tendency to hook in the mouth, Circle Hooks also increases post-hook survival of fish, leading to harvesting fresher and better quality seafood.

Despite its proven efficacy, Circle Hooks have yet to be standardized and broadly accepted in the region. The continued application of tariffs and import tax on eco-friendly fishing gears poses as one of the obstacles hindering its mainstream use.

“This slow transition to Circle Hooks is surprising as it is unacceptable,” says Symington. “We need the support of governments and regional bodies to ensure that such readily available and proven effective tools are made accessible to help put a stop to this easily preventable problem.”

Bycatch or the indiscriminate catch of non-target species in fisheries remains to be one of the most critical marine conservation issues in the Coral Triangle today, threatening marine biodiversity and the delicate ecological balance of oceans. In this region alone, tens of thousands of marine turtles are estimated to be accidentally killed each year by longline fishing operations.

“It is imperative for the fishing industry to start adopting more responsible fishing methods if they are to benefit from the growing demand for more responsibly-caught seafood; the use of Circle Hooks provides a win-win solution for all,” adds Symington.

An increasing number of seafood companies and individual fishers have already caught on to the market benefits of using Circle Hooks and have been fully on board WWF’s Circle Hook program, attesting to the economic and environmental effectiveness of this tool and seeing it as a crucial step towards sustainability.

“Through this policy brief, WWF aims to create enabling conditions to enjoin more players in the fishing sector to fully utilize Circle Hooks.”

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Shark fishing in Japan – a messy, blood-spattered business

Kesennuma accounts for 90% of the country's shark fin trade, which some claim amounts to 'the genocide of a species'
Justin McCurry guardian.co.uk 11 Feb 11;

Sunrise is still a good hour away when the first batch of limp, lifeless sharks are winched ashore and dumped on to the portside at Kesennuma.

As daylight throws its first shadows on to the loading bay, fishery workers begin gutting the sharks before removing their fins with razor-sharp knives. It is a messy, blood-spattered business, and a study in industrial efficiency.

The fins are hurled into plastic buckets, and what's left of the animals is scooped up by a forklift and loaded on to a truck. In contrast, the marlin, swordfish and bluefin tuna that share the port's 1,000 metre-long bay are afforded almost reverential treatment.

Kesennuma, a fishing town on Japan's north-east Pacific coast, does a lucrative business in the staples of Japanese cuisine: tuna, flounder, octopus, crab, bonito, Pacific saury, seaweed and squid.

But the trade in shark fins is its commercial lifeblood. The port, 250 miles north of Tokyo, accounts for 90% of Japan's shark fin trade and the promise of eating the country's best shark fin soup draws busloads of tourists every day in summer.

In 2009, Kesennuma landed almost 14,000 tonnes of shark, worth just over ¥2.4bn (£17.9m): a decent-sized tailfin can fetch as much as ¥10,000.

The minimal threat sharks pose to humans is the overriding theme of the town's shark museum, while stalls at the port's market sell everything the animal has to give: dumplings, jerky, shark-skin bags and accessories, and salmon-shark hearts – a local speciality eaten raw.

Few people outside Japan are aware of Kesennuma's contribution to the global trade in shark fins. And many among the town's 2,000 fishery workers would rather keep it that way as the Guardian discovered during a recent visit. We were asked to leave the port and film from a gantry reserved for tourists, while local officials turned down requests for comment. Our guide suggested, only half-jokingly, that we had been sent by Greenpeace.

Workers, contending with near-freezing temperatures and noisy, hungry seabirds circling above, moved quickly along the lines of sharks removing their fins. Pools of blood were hosed away as quickly as they formed.

Most of the shark fins handled at Kesennuma are taken to a nearby drying area – whose location is a closely guarded secret – and sold to upmarket restaurants in Tokyo and other big cities. A much smaller quantity is exported to Hong Kong and China, where the newly affluent have acquired a taste for Kesennuma shark fin.

The fishery workers go to extraordinary lengths to pursue their prey. The biggest ships among the town's 130-strong fleet spend up to 50 days at sea, casting baited lines several miles in length along a stretch of ocean between Japan and Hawaii.

But growing demand for shark fins, coupled with modern fishing methods, has caused a rapid decline in shark populations around the world, according to conservation groups. Many of the top catcher nations under-report their catches, in violation of international regulations.

In a report released to coincide with a meeting of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization last month, the Washington-based Pew Environment Group said at least 73 million sharks were killed every year, primarily for their fins.

"Sharks play a critical role in the ocean environment," said Pew's global shark conservation manager, Jill Hepp. "Where shark populations are healthy, marine life thrives. But where they have been overfished, ecosystems fall out of balance.

"Shark-catching countries must stand by their commitments and act now to conserve and protect these animals."

The movement to turn shark fin soup into a culinary pariah is gathering pace. The British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay highlighted the cruelty involved in finning – the practice of removing fins and discarding the body – in a recent documentary for Channel 4, while several Chinese restaurants in London have removed the soup from their menus.

The blue sharks that comprise 80% of the shark catch at Kesennuma are listed as "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Its migratory habits make it difficult to gauge the exact population, but there is no doubt that catches are in decline.

Japan caught about 65,000 tonnes of sharks just over 40 years ago, according to the country's fisheries agency; by 2009 that had almost halved to 35,000 tonnes.

"The number of sharks is definitely falling," says Kokichi Takeyama, an expert on Kesennuma's fishing industry who conducts tours of the port. "In the old days the fishermen used to throw them away as bycatch, but now they recognise their commercial value."

Japan's shark industry uses every part of the animal and so does not deserve to be targeted along with countries that catch them only for their fins, Takeyama argues.

But that does nothing to protect shark populations, says Mayumi Takeda, co-founder of PangeaSeed, a shark conservation group in Tokyo.

"Whether or not consumers use every part of the shark does not safeguard them against extinction," she says. "Just walk through the massive piles of juvenile sharks in Kesennuma and the picture becomes quite clear that this is the genocide of a species."

Like other members of the species, the blue shark is slow to mature and produces few offspring. "Should we wait to protect a species once it's on the verge of extinction, or act responsibly while we still have the chance?" asks Takeda.

Several countries, including the US, have taken steps to conserve shark populations, but she holds out little hope that Japan will follow suit. "Many Japanese turn a blind eye to the problem and ocean conservation seems to be overlooked here," she says.

"And because of the efforts of conservationists in the southern ocean and Taiji, the Japanese media have spun these issues to appear to be the actions of eco-terrorists. But Japan's international scoresheet can't handle much more negative press."

The people of Kesennuma, meanwhile, fear that media coverage of Japan's whaling and dolphin-hunting industries will put them under closer scrutiny. "We have seen what happened with the whaling issue, and don't want the attention," said one resident, who asked not to be named. "We just want to be left alone to get on with our jobs."
Shark fishing worldwide

20 countries account for 80% of the global shark catch, according to the Pew Environment Group. The top catching nation is Indonesia, followed by India, Spain and Taiwan. Japan lies in 9th place, with an annual average catch of almost 25,000 tonnes.

The IUCN's red list shows that 30% of all shark species are threatened or near threatened with extinction, and an internationally agreed plan to conserve sharks reached 10 years ago has had little effect.

"The fate of the world's sharks is in the hands of the world's top 20 shark catchers, most of which have failed to demonstrate what, if anything, they are doing to save these imperilled species," says Glenn Sant of the pressure group Traffic, which monitors the global trade in wildlife.

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Thailand: Master plan for our seas is vital

The Bangkok Post 11 Feb 11;

To close or not to close dive sites to prevent the worsening of coral bleaching in the Andaman Sea is no longer the question. After some hesitation, the National Parks Department eventually decided to close 18 dive sites, most of them being top diving destinations in the country.

The decision last month drew much criticism from tourism-related businesses. But according to the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the closure involves only 20% of the dive sites, so the impact on tourism businesses should not be as severe as feared.

Indeed, the government has done the right thing in ordering the closure since this will allow corals the necessary time and opportunity to recover. If anything, the closure should have been done much sooner, since coral bleaching has been going on for more than a year.

But if we want to effectively protect the ecology of our coastal seas, the closure of dive sites, temporary or permanent, is not enough.

It is true that the warming sea temperature and the El Nino phenomena are causes of massive coral bleaching. Yet, other forms of pollution such as sediment from coastal land development, destructive fishing, wastewater from inland or tourist boats, not to mention the careless feet of inexperienced divers, are no less threatening than global warming.

Closing dive sites is only a piecemeal measure in the big picture of marine ecology, when destructive fishing boats can freely push and pull massive nets along the seabed, or when inland development can release sediment and wastewater into the sea non-stop.

We not only need a comprehensive solution package but also the commitment to enforce it.

When the renowned Great Barrier Reef was hit by massive coral bleaching in 1998 and 2002, the Australian government issued the Great Barrier Reef Climate Change Action Plan 2007-2012, to control the damage. Interestingly, climate change is defined as one of pressures on the future of coral and marine ecology. Other factors include "degraded water quality" and "unsustainable fishing". Land use zoning, participatory coastal management, and research support are among the plan's recommendations, along with national commitment to reduce the overall carbon footprint to combat global warming.

Thailand actually tried to have a similar master plan. In 2008, the draft National Coral Management Plan recommended land use zoning and more support for both marine research and national park operations to protect marine ecology and coral health. It also called for local community participation and better legal mechanisms. Unfortunately, it was not approved by the government.

Global warming and irresponsible businesses are threatening the marine ecosystem which creates biodiversity and supports the livelihood of millions of people. We can no longer take the short-sighted route by merely announcing short-term closures of dive sites or by creating artificial corals through dumping decommissioned trains and planes into the sea. The draft National Coral Management Plan already details what needs to be done to effectively protect the health of corals and the coasts. The release of sediment and wastewater into the ocean must stop. So must destructive fishery and unregulated tourism.

The government must get tough with big trawlers and their destructive fishing machines. The development of beach resorts and marina must also be strictly regulated. We already know what needs to be done. What is lacking is the political will to make it happen.

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Floods add stress to the Great Barrier Reef

(UKPA) Google News 11 Feb 11;

Murky freshwater run-off from Australia's worst flooding in decades is adding to stresses from pollution and warming seas on the Great Barrier Reef, one of the world's most fragile ecosystems.

Researchers say it is too early to know exactly how much of the reef has been affected by the flooding, which carved a wide path of destruction on land before draining into the sea off the country's north-east coast.

So far, the signs are that damage will be isolated to relatively small portions of the reef, a popular dive site and network of coral structures rich in marine life that stretches more than 1,800 miles along the coast.

A narrow band of the reef was battered by a massive cyclone that passed overhead earlier this month and struck the coast with winds of up to 170 miles per hour, though the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority that manages the area said damage such as coral breakage was probably limited.

More worrying than the cyclone are the effects of the recent floods, which sent huge plumes of muddy fresh water over coastal portions of the reef, said Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, a reef expert from the University of Queensland.

Floodwater can hurt reefs in many ways, as coral becomes stressed when the level of salt in the water drops, the high concentration of soil nutrients in floodwater provides food for coral competitors such as certain types of algae, and pesticides in the water can kill the coral outright.

In recent years, the reef has suffered from mass bleaching, in which coral under stress expels the colourful algae living in its tissues, and many scientists believe rising sea temperatures are responsible for the bleaching, which can eventually kill the coral.

Drenching rains that pounded Queensland for months sent swollen rivers over their banks, inundating communities as the water made its way downstream to the ocean. Entire towns were swamped, 35 people were killed and more than 35,000 homes damaged or destroyed.

Nick Graham, a senior research fellow at Queensland's James Cook University, said many parts of the reef closer to shore have adapted to floodwaters, which have become common in the rainy summer season, although it's too early to say for certain what additional damage may have been done by the recent floods.

Coral ecologist Alison Jones has been examining several reefs in the Keppel Islands, an area in the reef's southern tail where floodwaters spilled into the sea, and found isolated damage to coral in waters less than 2 metres deep.

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China bids to ease drought with $1bn emergency water aid

World's biggest wheat producer resorts to desperate measures in attempt to protect harvest from worst drought in 60 years
Jonathan Watts guardian.co.uk 11 Feb 11;

China has announced a billion dollars in emergency water aid to ease its most severe drought in 60 years, as the United Nations warned of a threat to the harvest of the world's biggest wheat producer.

Beijing has also promised to use its grain reserves to reduce the pressure on global food prices, which have surged in the past year to record highs due to the floods in Australia and a protracted dry spell in Russia.

The desperate measures were evident at Baita reservoir in Shandong – one of several key agricultural provinces afflicted by four months without rain. With nearby crops turning yellow, a mechanical digger cut a crude, open-cast well into the dried-up bed of the reservoir. Muddy water from the five-metre deep pit was pumped up to the surface via a hose that snaked past a fishing boat stranded on the cracked earth.

As the water spluttered on to his wheat field, farmer Liu Baojin expressed concern the support may have come too late. Despite the emergency well digging and partial compensation from the government, he fears he may have to seek work in the city if his harvest fails.

"I guess a third of my crops have already died," he said. "I'm very worried. I've never seen such a dry spell."

The problems are compounded by the growing water demands of cities and industry. On the outskirts of Sishui – which translates as Four Waters due to its historic abundance of rivers and sprints – villagers complain that they are not allowed to use the Si river that runs past their homes because the water is earmarked for the Huajin paper mill and an artificial lake in a nearby urban development.

"We can't use our own water. The local officials want to keep it so they can show a 'green face' to the big-shot leaders from Beijing," said a peanut and cotton farmer who gave the surname Liu. "We are very angry. But we are afraid to complain."

Local newspapers have been filled with stories of the drought's impact on the "wheat basket" provinces of Henan, Anhui and Hunan. About 2.6 million people and 2.8 million livestock are affected. To induce precipitation, the army and metereological officials have fired cloud-seeding chemicals into the sky.

A light overnight fall of snow raised hopes that the drought may be about to break, but the Shandong Climate Centre said it stopped at 0.4mm – only enough to dust the fields.

"It's too little to make any difference," said Kong Dekun, who farms land near the mythical birthplace of Confucius in Fuzidong. "We should have had at least two big snowfalls by now."

The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation issued an alert earlier this week (pdf). "The ongoing drought is potentially a very serious problem," it said, noting that the affected area of 5.16 million hectares representd two-thirds of China's wheat production.

This has added to upward pressure on global wheat prices, which surged 76% last year due to a combination of speculation, rising demand and climatic impacts on production in Canada, Australia, Europe and Russia.

China bucked the trend with a record harvest in 2010, but the lack of rain – even by the standards of the dry season – has prompted concerns and price speculation that have pushed domestic wheat prices to record highs.

"This drought is unusual," said Kisan Gunjal, food emergency officer at the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation. "There is not such a great problem now as the crop is dormant, but we must keep in mind that if it remains dry or if temperatures in February go below the frost kill level – then this could be a significant event."

Rising food prices are said to have contributed to the unrest in Egypt and Tunisia. The Chinese government is trying to head off a destabilising level of stress over water, which is arguably the country's biggest environmental problem.

Premier Wen Jiabao has visited Shandong to promise help for the farmers. This week, his government unveiled a 6.7bn yuan ($1bn) package of measures to divert water, construct emergency wells and improve irrigation.

Last month, it announced a doubling of spending on water conservation to 4tn yuan (£400bn) over the next ten years, along with a first annual cap on water at 670 billion cubic metres. Huge sums are also being spent on water diversion projects, well digging and desalination plants.

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