Pandan mangroves (5 Jul 2011)
from Mega Marine Survey of Singapore
Large star and stargazer at Changi
from wild shores of singapore and Driftnet at Changi beach
Sentosa Serapong
from Singapore Nature and Chek Jawa and Seringat Kias
Rifle Range Road Nangka Trail
from Singapore Nature and CCNR, and some thoughts on the way humans tend to abuse wildlife and Amorphoscelis mantis
New Straits Times 6 Jul 11;
SAND smuggling is not likely to have taken place in Johor as those intending to do so would have to bribe a large number of officers from various departments, Menteri Besar Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman said yesterday.
He said stringent checks being carried out at the Sultan Iskandar Customs Complex in Johor Baru and Sultan Abu Bakar Complex in Tanjung Kupang as well as private jetties made it even harder to smuggle sand.
"Everything that is being exported is monitored by the export control unit of the Johor Land and Mines Department," he said at the assembly yesterday.
Ghani, who was responding to a question on the matter by Datuk Md Othman Yusof (BN-Kukup), said the state government had also formed an integrated enforcement committee made up of officials from the Customs Department, Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, Marine Police and Marine Department to monitor the export of brick products to Singapore to make it even harder for anyone to smuggle sand to the republic.
"Singapore also has its own enforcement unit to prevent such illegal sand smuggling activities."
He added that the state government was constantly reviewing its royalty collection method to improve revenue derived from the export of silica sand and brick products.
"The government is now preparing an inventory for the implementation of a high-technology system, which includes closed-circuit television and weigh bridges system.
"However, a weigh bridges system would require vast space which needs to be in close proximity to a Customs complex."
Ghani said the state government had the cooperation of the Customs Department, which is using its weight bridge at the Sultan Iskandar Customs Complex, to monitor all exports.
No smuggling of sand to Singapore: Johor Menteri Besar
Straits Times 7 Jul 11;
JOHOR BARU: Johor Menteri Besar Ghani Othman has denied Malaysian media reports that sand worth millions was being smuggled from the state to Singapore.
'The authorities in both countries are stringent with their checks and, to my knowledge, no such activity is happening here,' he told the Johor State Assembly on Tuesday.
Malaysia's The Star newspaper had reported late last month that smugglers were flouting a national ban on the export of sand to ship the commodity across the border via Sungai Johor.
Countering the report, Mr Ghani said smuggling is unlikely to have taken place as those intending to do so would have to bribe a large number of officers from various departments.
Stringent checks being carried out at the Sultan Iskandar Customs Complex in Johor Baru and the Sultan Abu Bakar Complex in Tanjung Kupang as well as private jetties made it harder to smuggle sand, he added, responding to an assemblyman's question on the matter.
'Everything that is being exported is monitored by the export control unit of the Johor Land and Mines Department,' he said.
The state government had also formed a special task force, made up of officials from the Customs Department, the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, the Marine Police and the Marine Department, to monitor sand smuggling.
'Singapore also has its own enforcement unit to prevent such illegal sand smuggling activities,' he added.
He also said the state government was continually reviewing its royalty collection methods to improve revenue derived from the export of sand and brick products.
Towards this, the state was planning to build a weigh bridge and install closed-circuit television cameras to keep track of vehicles carrying goods out of the country, Mr Ghani said.
NEW STRAITS TIMES, THE STAR/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
Letter from Damian Ng Today Online 6 Jul 11;
I AM sad to learn that the railway tracks will only be open until next Sunday (with exception of a stretch between Rifle Range Road and the Rail Mall until end of the month).
It was beautiful to see hundreds of people strolling along the tracks at the weekend, enjoying the newfound space. It is not often the public is given such freedom to roam in such a tranquil environment. Yet, it is being taken away from us almost immediately.
I understand Minister of State for National Development Tan Chuan-Jin has said it would take years and extensive public engagement to develop a "green" corridor that some are calling for. But the corridor is perfect as it is. Why does it need developing? It offers us a unique piece of Singapore's past, fresh air, greenery, wildlife and a place to get away from it all. So why spoil it with "development" and why do we have to wait "years" to enjoy it again?
Of course, I accept that the parcels of land near Tanjong Pagar should be developed for commercial reasons but, please, leave us free to roam the tracks from Queenstown to at least the Rail Mall. Too much land has already been developed on our island - please allow us to enjoy this lovely strip of land. Don't fence us out.
Straits Times 6 Jul 11;
THE number of dengue cases has crossed the 'warning level', but the National Environment Agency (NEA) said it is far from the number seen in the 2005 outbreak.
Last month, the weekly average number of cases hit 149, crossing the warning level set by the Ministry of Health (MOH). Last week, another 185 cases were reported.
The MOH's Weekly Infectious Disease Bulletin, published online, puts the warning level for dengue at 146 cases a week. An epidemic level is reached at 191 cases a week.
Still, the number of cases now is much lower than in 2005, when 25 people died in Singapore's worst dengue outbreak. The warning and epidemic levels back then were also higher, at 256 cases and 378 cases a week respectively.
The levels are based on the number of cases in the past five years. 'Given that dengue cases have been relatively low in the past years since the 2005 outbreak, this year's warning and epidemic levels are at the lower end,' said an NEA spokesman in a statement yesterday. Singapore is currently in the peak period for dengue, which usually falls between May and September.
The public should continue to be vigilant, especially those living in Marsiling, Woodlands, Geylang, Joo Chiat, Ang Mo Kio and Hougang - where more cases are popping up.
She also said that there could be a possible switch in the predominant strain of dengue in Singapore. There are four types of dengue and the predominant type usually changes every three years.
The current predominant type, Dengue-2, has already been in circulation for four years. As fewer people have immunity against a newly predominant type of dengue, the number of cases typically increases during the switch.
MELISSA KOK
Weekly dengue cases hit new high
Wayne Chan Channel NewsAsia 5 Jul 11;
SINGAPORE: Weekly dengue cases so far this year have hit a new high, with 185 cases recorded in the 26 June-2 July period.
The number exceeded the Ministry of Health's (MOH) warning levels of 146 cases per week for the first time this year.
And if dengue cases increase to 191 per week, it would take the situation to epidemic levels.
The National Environment Agency (NEA) said that last week's 185 cases were also higher than the average 66 cases a week recorded in May and 108 cases a week recorded in June last year.
The NEA said dengue cases have been creeping up, with the weekly average number of cases increasing from 106 in May to 149 last month. But it said this is still far from the 2005 dengue outbreak situation.
The NEA said these levels are moving averages based largely on the past five years worth of data.
As such, the higher the previous cases recorded, the higher the warning and epidemic level would be.
The NEA said given that dengue cases have been relatively low in the past years since the 2005 outbreak, this year's warning and epidemic levels are at the lower end.
In 2006, the warning and epidemic levels were higher, at 256 cases per week and 378 per week, respectively, because of the high cases in 2004 and 2005.
The recent spike comes after a rare type of dengue - DEN-3 - hit the Marsiling area, with about 66 cases reported as of last week.
And the NEA said more cases could be expected if there is a change in the predominant serotype, as there would be fewer people with immunity against the non-predominant serotype.
The current predominant serotype is DEN-2, which has been in circulation for four years.
Historically, a change has been observed to occur every three years.
The NEA said those living in Marsiling, Woodlands, Geylang, Joo Chiat, Ang Mo Kio and Hougang (between Avenue 1 and Lorong Ah Soo) need to be especially vigilant, with more cases popping up there.
An expert said anyone hit by dengue a second time will feel the effect faster.
"If one person were to acquire DEN-3 the first time, he would have symptoms very similar to DEN-1 or DEN-2. However, should he get another infection subsequently, be it DEN-3 followed by DEN-2, or DEN-2 followed by DEN-3, you expect the disease to progress much faster. So you would see the platelets falling much faster. And you would see that the blood becomes thicker at a much earlier instance," said Dr Leong Hoe Nam, a specialist in infectious diseases at the Raffles Hospital.
- CNA/ir
Making issue a priority helped S'pore overcome water challenges: PM
Grace Chua Straits Times 6 Jul 11;
THERE are no magic solutions to overcoming urban water problems and achieving water self-sufficiency is a slow, painstaking process.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong gave this assessment when he was tapped for advice he could give to other countries, at a Singapore International Water Week dialogue yesterday.
Saying that he hesitated to give advice because every city's problems are different, he added: 'But I think the most important thing may not be the water itself but the ability of the city to administer effective water policy.'
Only with effective governance in place, PM Lee noted, will governments be able to clean up slums, connect houses to sewers, charge for water supply and punish water theft.
In Singapore's case, he said the country had planned its water strategy over many years, built reservoirs and catchment areas, studied desalination and dreamt of turning Marina Bay into a reservoir.
When new technology became cheap enough to turn salt water into fresh water and remove pollutants from the river affordably, the city-state invested in it, he told the 1,500-strong audience, including water ministers and leaders, at the Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre.
'I think the most important decision was to treat this as a strategic priority right from the beginning because we knew we were vulnerable,' he said in the hour-long question-and-answer session moderated by Ambassador-at-large Tommy Koh.
He outlined some of the experiences that Singapore had gone through to pipe clean and safe water to its people.
Singapore prices water, he said, to reflect its true cost here - the cost of desalinating it.
But this is contentious in other countries, where doing so is 'political hara-kiri', as Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy visiting don Asit Biswas had put it in a question to the Prime Minister.
The current water tariff here starts at $1.17 per cubic m before taxes and fees and about $1.50 per cubic m with taxes. Before 1997, domestic users did not pay water conservation tax on the first 20 cubic m.
But the political backdrop of the mid-1990s meant water was a national security issue. Citing that as one reason that people accepted higher tariffs, PM Lee said there were reminders from various quarters abroad at that time that 'if we were not compliant, they would threaten to turn our water off'.
Water agency PUB said last year that Singapore is on its way to filling up 80 per cent of its water needs with Newater and desalinated water by 2060.
The country is also building a large-scale, deep-tunnel sewerage system to channel used water to a proposed Newater plant in Tuas.
The system will be in place in 15 years.
Newer technologies, such as desalination plants which can also filter less-salty water, will also expand the water catchment from the current two-thirds of land area to as much as nine-tenths in the long term.
At the dialogue yesterday, several audience members, such as Ms Sahana Singh, editor of trade magazine Asian Water, asked if Singapore would take the lead in helping the region's developing countries manage their sanitation and water issues.
PM Lee said: 'We have five million people in Singapore, and in Asia... 1.8 billion in need of sanitation. So we will try our best but our resources are limited.'
Rather, individual governments must make water and sanitation a priority, he emphasised.
He pointed out that larger countries like China and India have, unlike Singapore, far more natural resources.
'You have rivers, you have glaciers... you can divert them, you can do hydro plants.
'I have no doubt that countries which can develop 7, 8, 9 per cent growth a year will be able to muster the resources to address water and many other challenges and to bring their people's standard of living up, step by step, year by year,' he said.
Singapore on track to meet water needs
Second desalination plant a big step towards goal of self-sufficiency
Jessica Cheam Straits Times 7 Jul 11;
SINGAPORE yesterday took a big step towards becoming self-sufficient in water as work began on its second and largest desalination plant.
The $890 million plant in Tuas, which begins operations in July 2013, will triple the Republic's water desalination capacity.
That will bring Singapore closer to its goal of supplying 30 per cent of its water needs from desalination by 2061.
The Tuaspring plant is built by home-grown firm Hyflux, which also runs SingSpring in Tuas, Singapore's first desalination plant which was completed in 2005.
Speaking at the ground-breaking ceremony yesterday, Environment and Water Resources Minister Vivian Balakrishnan hailed the occasion as 'yet another important and strategic milestone in Singapore's water journey'.
The new plant will pump another 318,500 cubic m of water per day into the Republic's national tap. That will add to the current 136,500 cubic m produced daily by the existing plant, which currently supplies 10 per cent of Singapore's water needs.
Desalination is an obvious choice for Singapore, given that the city is surrounded by seawater, noted Dr Balakrishnan.
But the Government held back because the option was too costly in the early days of its invention, he pointed out. Over the years, however, it has become cheaper due to technology improvements.
He said: 'Technology has made a major difference and in the past decade or two, it has certainly altered the strategic and economic landscape for us as far as our choices in water is concerned.'
The new facility uses a reverse osmosis process to remove the salt and other impurities in seawater.
Singapore's water demand is expected to double by 2060. Then, 50 per cent of its needs will be met by Newater, 30 per cent from desalination and 20 per cent from local catchment areas, said Dr Balakrishnan.
Currently, up to 60 per cent of Singapore's water is provided for by local catchment areas and imports from Malaysia, 10 per cent from seawater and 30 per cent from Newater.
Singapore, he said, was likely to build a third desalination plant to meet water needs. But he was quick to add that 'we don't want to overbuild either'.
'There's a cost... associated with building up the capacity, so we will do this judiciously and carefully... this is a long-term plan,' he told reporters.
One innovative feature of the new plant is that it is co-located with a combined cycle gas turbine power plant, which will supply the power for the desalination process.
Hyflux chief executive Olivia Lum said this has enabled higher efficiency and savings on the costs of water production.
The ground-breaking ceremony was a key event at the Singapore International Water Week (SIWW), an annual gathering of water experts and leaders from across the world.
But the highlight yesterday was a dialogue with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong - a new segment at this year's SIWW.
During the hour-long session attended by some 1,500 delegates, he took more than 10 questions, ranging from Singapore's water management strategy to how the Republic can help other countries.
Outlining Singapore's thinking on water issues, he said the Government started off with the approach that water is 'not just an economic problem', but a 'strategic necessity'.
He went on to talk about how achieving self-sufficiency is important, with the first water agreement with Malaysia expiring soon, and the second one ending in 2061.
For instance, the Government was also quick to invest in technologies such as desalination, when it became affordable to do so. It has also explored other sources, such as Newater.
New approaches are also being tried out, Mr Lee said. This includes a variable salinity plant, a technology pioneered by national water agency PUB, which allows flexible treatment of both brackish and seawater according to salt content.
While there are 'no magic solutions' to solving water problems, Mr Lee said such efforts will be a big boost. He said: 'By 2061, I'm confident that we'll be able to be self-sufficient.'
Capping yesterday's events, former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew handed out the Water Prize to Dr James Barnard, 75, for his work in recycling used water.
Singapore to ramp up NEWater and desalination capacity
Hoe Yeen Nie Channel NewsAsia 5 Jul 11;
SINGAPORE: Singapore will ramp up its NEWater and desalination capacity such that by 2060 they will account for 80 per cent of Singapore's water demand.
These targets had been set ahead of the expiry of Singapore's second water agreement with Malaysia.
Malaysia has agreed to supply Singapore with water till 2061.
Speaking at the inaugural Water Conversation at the Singapore International Water Week on Tuesday, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong explained that the need to be self-sufficient in water has long been seen as a strategic necessity.
NEWater now meets 30 per cent of Singapore's water needs and the target is to raise that to 50 per cent.
Desalinated water currently fulfils 10 per cent of demand, and capacity will be ramped up significantly when its second and largest desalination plant, located at Tuas, is operational by 2013.
During the dialogue, a participant said Singapore could be self-sufficient sooner, but Mr Lee said even so, the Water Agreement still stands.
Mr Lee said: "The water treaty is not just a matter of self-sufficiency; it's an inviolate founding document of our republic.
"When we became independent, one of the terms of the independence was that both governments - the Malaysian and the Singaporean governments - guaranteed that Johor will supply water to us until 2061. That absolutely cannot be changed and I think we have to stick by that until 2061."
Among countries, there are generally three schools of thought when it comes to the pricing of water.
Some think it should be free; others provide it heavily subsidised; and some, like Singapore, believe in the need to reflect its economic value - which is the cost of producing the next drop using desalination or NEWater techonologies, while directing subsidies to the low-income households.
It is estimated that these schemes, such as the U-Save rebates, more than cover the 3 per cent of income that households spend on water on average.
The PUB also imposes a conservation tax to reflect the need to use water wisely.
Beyond pricing, authorities also recognised the need for a mindset change.
"You almost have to make it a religion. So every drop of water counts, and even if it's a lot of trouble to save this, and maybe you do the sums and it doesn't quite add up, but I want you to have that in your mind, and to treat it as if it's something very, very precious," said Mr Lee.
Over time, water rates in Singapore have tripled, and now approximates its real cost.
Households now pay S$1.17 per cubic metre for the first 40 cubic metres a month; above that they pay S$1.40 per cubic metre, before taxes.
But Mr Lee said there was concern in the late 1990s over how the public would react.
PM Lee said: "I think one reason people accepted this was because at that time, regularly, there were reminders from various quarters in neighbouring countries that if we were not compliant, they would threaten to turn our water off. And therefore Singaporeans could see this and could understand that this was a national security issue.
"I don't know that you can replicate that solution in other countries, and we have very good relations with our neighbours. But at that time that was the backdrop, and for the purposes of educating our citizens, it was not unhelpful."
Across Asia, an estimated 1.8 billion people do not have access to clean and safe water, and some participants asked if Singapore could do more to help.
But Mr Lee said it can only do so much.
He said real change will come about only if these regional governments have the political will to act.
- CNA/cc/ls
Important to treat water as a scarce resource, says PM Lee
Hoe Yeen Nie Today Online 6 Jul 11;
SINGAPORE - While Singapore has made significant strides towards becoming self-sufficient in water, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong reiterated yesterday that it was important for people to treat water as a scarce resource.
Said Mr Lee: "You almost have to make it a religion. So every drop of water counts, and even if it's a lot of trouble to save (water), and maybe you do the sums and it doesn't quite add up but I want you to have that in your mind and to treat it as if it's something very, very precious."
Speaking at a dialogue at the Singapore International Water Week, Mr Lee said that the Republic takes the pricing policy for water seriously as a way to manage demand for the scarce resource.
Mr Lee noted that among countries, there are generally three schools of thought when it comes to the pricing of water: Some think it should be free, some provide it heavily subsidised and, others, like Singapore, believe in the need to reflect its economic value while directing subsidies to low-income households.
The subsidies schemes are estimated to offset the 3 per cent of income that households spend on water on average. The Public Utilities Board (PUB) also imposes a conservation tax.
Over time, water rates in Singapore have tripled. Households currently pay S$1.17 per cubic m for the first 40 cubic metre a month, above that they pay S$1.40 per cu m, before taxes.
Mr Lee noted that a reason why Singaporeans could accept the Government's approach in pricing water was because in the late '90s, "there were reminders from various quarters in neighbouring countries that if we were not compliant, they would threaten to turn our water off".
Said Mr Lee: "Therefore, Singaporeans could ... understand that this was a national security issue. I don't know (if) you can replicate that solution in other countries ... we have very good relations with our neighbours. But at that time that was the backdrop ... it was not unhelpful".
Malaysia has agreed to supply Singapore with water till 2061. Singapore has said it aims to have 80 per cent of its demand met by desalination and NEWater by 2060.
During the dialogue, a participant pointed out that Singapore could be self-sufficient sooner. Mr Lee said that even so, the Water Agreement stands. Said Mr Lee: "The water treaty is not just a matter of self-sufficiency, it's an inviolate founding document of our Republic. When we became independent, one of the terms of the independence was that both governments - the Malaysian and the Singaporean governments - guaranteed that Johor will supply water to us until 2061. That absolutely cannot be changed and I think we have to stick by that."
Across Asia, an estimated 1.8 billion people do not have access to clean water. Some participants asked if Singapore could do more to help. Noting that Singapore can only do so much, Mr Lee added that real change will come about only if the governments in the region have the political will to act.
Water self-sufficiency a strategic priority: PM Lee
Singapore's water policy not driven only by economic rationale
Teh Shi Ning Business Times 6 Jul 11;
(SINGAPORE) The Republic's water policy has been rooted in the recognition that self-sufficiency is a strategic priority, not just an economic one, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said yesterday.
Water pricing policies, new catchment areas, public education and ramped- up use of new water technologies have all stemmed from that, he said, adding that desalination and NEWater plants are expected to supply 80 per cent of Singapore's water needs by 2060, before the second water treaty with Malaysia expires in 2061.
Taking questions from the audience of 1,500 policymakers, researchers and water industry leaders at the Singapore International Water Week's (SIWW) inaugural Water Conversation, Mr Lee explained that while Singapore is working towards water self-sufficiency, it still imports essentials such as food and energy, also needed for water treatment processes.
He said that, as a very small country, Singapore depended on the rest of the world, and there was no alternative to this.
NEWater currently meets 30 per cent of Singapore's water needs, but ramped-up capacity is projected for it to meet 50 per cent of future water demand by 2060.
Desalinated water, with added capacity from the new TuaSpring Desalination Plant, is expected to supply 30 per cent of water needs by 2060, up from the current 10 per cent.
Mr Lee also shared some of the new approaches Singapore is trying out, including technology integrating desalination and NEWater processes to treat water of varying salinity. This could tap small rivers and streams nearer the sea to raise Singapore's water catchment area from about two-thirds to 90 per cent.
One researcher in the audience suggested Singapore could be self-sufficient before the 2061 expiry date of Singapore's second water agreement with Malaysia. But Mr Lee stressed that the treaty is 'not just a matter of self-sufficiency, it's an inviolate founding document of our Republic', which 'absolutely cannot be changed'.
Other participants asked if Singapore could do more to assist the estimated 1.8 billion people across Asia without access to clean water. Mr Lee said that while Singapore is already sharing its water expertise, governance and the ability to enforce laws remain key.
He spoke about the politics of pricing water, acknowledging that while governments may fear public backlash from pricing an essential good like water to reflect its economic value, Singaporeans were more accepting of pricing adjustments in the late 1990s, in part because threats from neighbouring countries to switch off the water supply drove home the national security aspect to water.
While Singapore's water prices reflect the cost of producing the next drop of water via desalination or NEWater technologies, utilities subsidies also ensure that low-income households are not deprived of an essential good, Mr Lee said.
Beyond pricing and developing cost-viable technologies to produce water, public education and mindset change are key. 'You almost have to make it a religion, so every drop of water counts,' Mr Lee said, about educating people on water conservation and keeping the environment and water catchment areas clean.
Its second Singapore plant will sell the water at 45 cents per cubic m when ready in 2013
Lynn Kan Business Times 6 Jul 11;
SINGAPORE'S second and larger desalination plant built by Hyflux will produce the world's cheapest desalinated water at 45 cents per cubic metre when it is completed in 2013.
This is made possible because of improvements in membrane technology, the larger scale of the Tuaspring Desalination Plant compared to its predecessor and the integration of the 400-megawatt power plant that is on site.
Group president and CEO of Hyflux Olivia Lum said the group will aim to incorporate technology which will 'revolutionise' the energy efficiency of its desalination process, to further lower water tariffs.
Currently, the research team at Hyflux is working tirelessly to hit upon 'The Solution' that will bring energy costs down at its plants, said Ms Lum.
Yet, Ms Lum is not averse to sourcing such technology from other companies from different parts of the world.
'In fact, nobody has a monopoly of talent. We believe that reaching out to international technology platform will only assist us in advancing our focus in bringing down water costs,' said Ms Lum.
Ms Lum's comments came after the groundbreaking ceremony of the Tuaspring Desalination Plant was concluded yesterday at the Singapore International Water Week.
On Monday, Hyflux announced that it had secured a $150 million financial package for the desalination plant, and it is 'on track' to securing financing for the power plant.
Ms Lum said she was confident that financing for the $890 million Tuaspring Desalination Plant and its ancillary power plant will be secured on schedule in four months.
Hyflux had raised $400 million through Class A Preference Shares in April. Most of this will fund the Tuaspring project, said Ms Lum.
The project was announced in April, and Hyflux will design, build, own, and operate the plant.
Construction will begin at Tuas Ave 3 in the fourth quarter of 2011.
Hyflux's counters closed up three cents yesterday at $2.03.
Hyflux secures funds of S$150m for Tuaspring desalination plant
Travis Teo Channel NewsAsia 5 Jul 11;
SINGAPORE: Home-grown water treatment firm Hyflux has secured funds of S$150 million to build Singapore's largest desalination plant.
The Tuaspring desalination plant is part of a project expected to cost S$890 million, which the firm said it is "on track" to secure funds for this second tranche.
But it didn't elaborate on its potential size.
It added that the S$400 million raised during a preference shares offer in April will also contribute largely to the project.
Hyflux said desalination business contributes about 90 per cent of its revenue.
The firm recorded a total revenue of S$570 million in 2010.
Olivia Lum, founder & chief executive of Hyflux said: "Our research team is very busy looking for the solution to bring desalinated water to be the cheapest water.
"As cheap as, maybe, ordinary river water treatment, and that will be our dream.
"We want to bring sea water desalination to the level where everybody can afford and when that time comes, this sea water desalination will not only be available to rich countries or nations."
Hyflux said the plant is expected to offer the lowest tariffs of around S$0.55 per cubic metre on the first year when completed.
It added that this is the bottom of a global range of between S$0.55 to S$1.23 per cubic metre.
Costs are lower due to an on-site power plant that will supply electricity to the desalination plant.
Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Environment and Water Resources Minister, said: "The Tuaspring desalination plant showcases our commitment to leverage on innovation in order to address our long term needs.
"Hyflux, which has been PUB private sector partner for this project, proposed an innovative solution in which it has coupled desalination with on-site power generation.
"I couldn't resist noticing when Olivia proudly proclaimed the lowest tariffs in the world."
Construction for the Tuaspring project, built under a Design, Build, Own and Operate (DBOO) scheme, is expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2011.
When completed in 2013, it will add 318,500 cubic metres of desalinated seawater a day to the national water supply.
That would more than triple PUB's total water desalination capacity to 455,000 cubic metres.
In total, Dr Balakrishnan said desalinated water will make up 30 per cent of water needs by 2060, up from the current 10 per cent.
- CNA/ck
Business Times 6 Jul 11;
USED water ought to be viewed as a resource and not merely a nuisance to dispose of, says South African-born scientist James Barnard, this year's Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize Laureate.
Delivering the Singapore Water Lecture yesterday afternoon, Dr Barnard said he sees water reclamation as a means not just to recover water, but also essential nutrients such as phosphorus.
Recognised for inventing an environment-friendly and cost-effective method to treat used water using micro-organisms instead of chemicals, Dr Barnard received $300,000, an award certificate and a gold medallion from former premier Lee Kuan Yew at a banquet at the Ritz-Carlton last night.
Dr Barnard will use part of the prize money to set up an endowment for his alma mater Stellenbosch University because South Africa is 'producing only 20 per cent of engineers needed in such a water-strapped country'.
He will also donate part of the money to the University of Johannesburg and University of Texas at Austin.
Dr Barnard will channel the rest of the prize money to continue his research, mentoring the younger generation and teaching.
Since his invention in the 1970s, Biological Nutrient Removal (BNR)-based technology has been adopted in thousands of plants in the US, Europe, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, and more recently in developing countries such as China and Brazil. Singapore also uses a variant of BNR technology in water treatment.
In response to a question on why great water technology ideas are not being adopted quickly enough, Dr Barnard said he was fortunate to have the backing of people in Johannesburg who first used his BNR technology.
"Urine recovery" may be way forward in future water supply: expert
Imelda Saad Channel NewsAsia 5 Jul 11;
SINGAPORE : An international water expert has predicted a future where mankind's main water resource comes from used water.
With a growing population, water is a prized commodity, and increasingly, pure drinking water has become a scarcity in many countries.
According to Dr James Barnard, recipient of this year's Lee Kuan Yew Water prize, one solution countries need to seriously consider, is using treated waste water - something Singapore is already doing with NEWater.
Singapore currently has five NEWater plants, which treat waste water for both industrial and potable use.
Together they supply 30 per cent of the country's current water needs.
In Singapore, treated waste water or NEWater is used mainly for industrial purposes. Only about 2 per cent is pumped back into the reservoir. And by 2060, it's estimated that NEWater will meet about half of Singapore's overall water demand.
Some parts of the world are already quite advanced in what Dr Barnard calls "urine recovery".
Dr Barnard said: "It's already happening, a lot of people just don't know it and accept it therefore.
"There is a reservoir feeding some of the suburbs in Washington DC, Fairfax County, and that reservoir, 60 per cent of the flow into that reservoir is used water. So you can say, call it indirect, but they are having a higher recycle rate of used water than Singapore has."
Dr Barnard also has a radical idea to better facilitate the process - have dual flushing toilets where urine flows through separate pipes, directly to waste water treatment plants.
Dr Barnard said: "They have a suburb in Stockholm where they are already doing that. It is more like a demonstration project.
"I'm thinking in new developments like perhaps golf courses. Most of these developments have housing around them. Why should we not separate the urine in that and re-use it on the fairways? I think that's where we can make a start in the developed world. We cannot go into the buildings and change those toilets."
He said urine, when treated could be a resource for drinking and agricultural use. Its by-products could also be used as a source of energy and fertilisers.
Meanwhile, Dr Barnard, the fourth Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize winner, was officially honoured at the Riz-Carlton Millenia on Tuesday evening.
He received the award from former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew, whom the award is named after, for his work in enabling Singapore to attain a sustainable water supply.
Besides the certificate and gold medallion, Dr Barnard also received S$300,000, which he said would go to charity.
Dr Barnard is recognised for his invention of the Biological Nutrient Removal technology, which uses naturally occurring micro-organisms instead of conventional chemicals to remove chemicals from used water.
The Lee Kuan Yew Water prize is awarded to those who have contributed towards solving global water problems.
- CNA /ls
Used water will become 'mankind's main source of water'
Imelda Saad Aziz Today Online 6 Jul 11;
SINGAPORE - Already a resource fulfilling about one-third of Singapore's current water needs, used water - such as urine - will become mankind's main source of water, predicted an international water expert.
Speaking at the Singapore Water Lecture yesterday, Dr James Barnard, the recipient of the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize this year - given to those who have contributed towards solving global water problems - said that with a growing population, pure drinking water is becoming a scarcity in many countries.
Hence, countries need to consider using treated waste water - something Singapore is already doing with NEWater. Singapore currently has five NEWater plants, with most of the NEWater used for industrial purposes. Only 2 per cent is pumped into the reservoirs.
More advanced in "urine recovery" is a reservoir in a suburb in Washington DC, where 60 per cent of the water flowing into it is used water. "Call it indirect, but they are having a higher recycle rate of used water than Singapore has," said Dr Barnard.
A lot of people do not realise the water they are getting is treated waste water and so accept it as water that they have been getting all the while, he said.
Meanwhile, in a suburb in Stockholm, a pilot project with dual flushing toilets sees urine flow through separate pipes directly to waste water treatment plants. "It could be implemented in new developments like golf courses," he said.
As most of these developments will have housing coming up around them, why not re-use urine from these houses on the fairways, he suggested.
He added that urine, when treated, could be a resource for drinking and agricultural use and its by-products could be used as a source of energy and fertilisers.
Dr James Barnard received his prize from former Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew at the Ritz-Carlton Millenia last night.
Besides a certificate and gold medallion, Dr Barnard also received S$300,000, which he said would go to charity.
Dr Barnard is recognised for his invention of Biological Nutrient Removal technology, which uses naturally occurring micro-organisms - instead of conventional chemicals - to remove chemicals from used water.
Passion for urine, food for thought
Prize winner promotes use of waste as fertiliser
Feng Zengkun Straits Times 6 Jul 11;
THE winner of this year's Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize has his eye on urine.
Dr James Barnard, 75, is a dogged advocate of using it as a fertiliser to bump up food production for the world, possible because the body's liquid waste contains large amounts of phosphorus, a fertiliser.
'I know it's a strange idea that gets lots of laughs, but it's really serious,' said the South Africa-born civil engineer.
He was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Water Prize last night by former prime minister Lee himself, for his work in recycling used water. Dr Barnard's technology recovers phosphorus from used water such as urine, converting it into pellets or crystals.
The Water Prize recognises outstanding contributions towards solving global water problems through technology, policies and programmes. The prize presentation is the highlight of each year's Singapore International Water Week.
At the Water Lecture traditionally given by the winner, Dr Barnard said yesterday afternoon that he would use his position as the latest winner of the prize to promote the use of urine as fertiliser.
Already, in cities like Kampala in Uganda, half the food consumed is grown using urine, he said.
Using this waste as a fertiliser could avert a food crisis caused by natural disasters, changing weather patterns and speculation in crop prices. Global food prices shot up 30 per cent in the last year.
With the world population growing, especially in developing countries, it is crucial to raise food production, Dr Barnard said.
Research institutes in Sweden and Switzerland are trying to get developing countries to save and use urine as a fertiliser for food crops. Sweden is implementing 'urine-separation toilets', which are toilets with separate channels to collect urine.
'I'm told the only problem is getting the men to sit down,' Dr Barnard quipped.
He noted that 90 per cent of the world's phosphorus mines are found in just five countries - Morocco, China, South Africa, Jordan and the United States.
Fertiliser from these countries is only going to get more costly as the supply shrinks, so it is important for developing countries to find a cheap, sustainable way of producing it themselves, he said.
He plugs the 'urine-as-fertiliser' message wherever he goes, from conventions to lectures - and even on board aeroplanes.
Laughing, he said: 'Sometimes the person next to me asks me what I do for a living. I tell them you're going to be sorry that you asked. But they always end up finding it fascinating.'
The Water Prize attracted a record 72 submissions from 29 countries this year. It includes an award and a $300,000 cash prize.
Dr Barnard said he would donate part of the money to the University of Stellenbosch, his alma mater, and the University of Texas and the University of Johannesburg, which supported his work. He will also launch programmes for young scientists.
Esther Ng, TODAY Channel NewsAsia 6 Jul 11;
SINGAPORE: After 27 years of lobbying for animal welfare, Ms Deirdre Moss - the face of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) - will be stepping down as its executive director on August 1. That role will be taken up by Ms Corrine Fong, 47, a financial advisory representative.
Ms Moss, 59, said her initial plan was to retire but is in discussions with SPCA's management committee to remain at the society as a freelance consultant and adviser.
"I'm still deciding what I'm going to do next but I'm leaving on a positive note. Things are coming up for animal welfare - many groups and individuals are working in tandem with the Government to improve the environment," she said.
SPCA chairman Carla Barker said the change comes as part of the organisation's succession planning, which was initiated when Ms Moss informed the management committee of her pending retirement at the end of last year.
Ms Barker added that the management committee had unanimously selected Ms Fong based on her track record and experience as volunteer and former board member, as well as her strong executive and personal qualities.
Ms Fong started out volunteering at the SPCA as a kennel helper and then as an animal adoption counsellor and management committee member.
She said: "My top priority is to promote animal welfare and ensure this work is supported with accountable processes and procedures by SPCA and the government agencies which deal with animal welfare. I also intend to collaborate and work very closely with other animal welfare agencies to raise the profile of these vulnerable creatures with the authorities."
The issues include the culling of stray dogs and cats, pet abandonment and abuse and "harsher penalties for unscrupulous breeders".
Ms Fong said: "We will continue to work with conscientious breeders but for those unscrupulous ones, we think the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority and licensing bodies can come down harder on them and step up checks on these breeders."
She aimed to move the organisation forward by strengthening its reputation and capabilities and encouraging greater efficiency, accountability and sustainability, she said.
Andrea Mustain LiveScience.com Yahoo News 5 Jul 11;
In the first undertaking of its kind, scientists have pinpointed the location of the majority of the world's "missing" plant species — research that has unveiled both good news and bad.
The good news is that the majority of the yet-undiscovered plant species on Earth — scientists estimate an additional 15 percent of the world's 336,000 species of flowering plants still languish in obscurity — live in regions that already receive the lion's share of conservation efforts.
"The bad news comes in that these places are under extreme threat," said Lucas Joppa, a scientist with Microsoft Research in Cambridge, England, whose results are published this week in the July 4 issue of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"These places aren't just places with a lot of species, they're places where habitat loss has occurred to an extreme," Joppa said. "So we've prioritized these places, but the problem is even more serious than we thought. Instead of x number of species, it's x + y number of species."
It's because these unidentified species live in comparatively small numbers in rarified pockets around the globe that they've escaped notice. Think of a cardinal, a showy, plentiful bird with a wide-ranging habitat, versus a tiny, drab-colored bird that lives in only one stretch of forest in Ecuador — it's far easier to find one than the other.
Where the hotspots are
Joppa's research looked at what are known as "biodiversity hotspots" — regions defined, by an influential paper more than a decade ago, as areas around the world that are home to at least 1,500 species found nowhere else on the planet and where at least 70 percent of the natural habitat has been destroyed.
Once those danger zones were identified, the world's conservation organizations naturally focused on those as a priority over other areas, Joppa said. "Basically, they've been trying to figure out where they can get the most bang for their buck around the world in terms of conservation," he said.
Although the hotspot concept revealed areas where identified species were threatened it wasn't known if the world's remaining species — those that have never been described — all lived somewhere else. They could be sitting below the conservation radar, throwing a wrench in the efforts to save Earth's species.
Joppa said his research was a first attempt to quantify those known unknowns. "It's one of the most important elephants in the room for conservation," Joppa said. "Trying to figure out what remains missing is one of the oldest questions in ecology."
To predict where these yet-to-be-found species might dwell, Joppa used a computer model that revealed most of the "missing" species indeed live in biodiversity hotspots. In fact, a whopping 70 percent of the elusive plants live in hotspots in six regions in Central America, South America, southern Africa and Australia.
It didn't have to turn out that way. "We could have found out, 'Oh hey, it turns out the places we've been ignoring have more species than the places we've been concentrating on," Joppa told OurAmazingPlanet.
How the 'missing' were 'found'
Joppa and his co-authors peered back to the beginning of humanity's attempt to classify living organisms, beginning in the 1700s, and followed the path of discovery through history to arrive at their projections for how many plant species actually exist on earth, and, in turn, where the most elusive flowering plants live.
"This is the first model that acknowledges that the species discovery process has an inherent human element," Joppa said. "So things like world wars, and other kinds of massive geopolitical unrest will change the number of species described," because humans are too busy fighting to look for new blooms.
So, if there are indeed more than 50,000 flowering plant species on Earth that no taxonomist has ever pressed in the pages of a book, should anyone care? Why is it important to preserve these species before they're killed off? [Related: 10 Species You Can Kiss Goodbye]
"The more we know about ecosystems and they way ecosystems function, the more we know we don't know," Joppa said. "So in the face of that immense uncertainty, it seems exceptionally foolhardy to be tinkering around with things that we don't fully understand."
Study predicts areas of 'missing' species
UPI 5 Jul 11;
DURHAM, N.C., July 5 (UPI) -- Most of the world's "missing" or undiscovered species live in regions already identified by scientists as biodiversity hotpots, a U.S. study says.
The study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, suggests recent conservation efforts have been on target and should reduce uncertainty over global conservation priorities, it authors said.
However, the extinction threat for many of the as-yet undiscovered species is worse than previously feared, they said.
"We show that the majority of the world's 'missing species' are hiding away on some of the most threatened landscapes in the world," said Stuart Pimm, a professor of conservation at Duke University. "This considerably increases the number of threatened and endangered species around the world."
And the world's knowledge of species is seriously incomplete, with many as-yet undiscovered, a Duke release said Tuesday.
"We know we have an incomplete catalogue of life," said lead author Lucas Joppa of Microsoft Research in Cambridge, England, who received his doctorate in ecology from Duke in 2009.
"If we don't know how many species there are, or where they live, then how can we prioritize places for conservation? What if the places we ignore now turn out to be those with the most unknown species?"
The researchers said six regions already identified by conservation scientists as hotspots -- Mexico to Panama; Colombia; Ecuador to Peru; Paraguay and Chile southward; southern Africa; and Australia -- were estimated to contain 70 percent of all predicted missing species.
"How can you save a species you don't even know exists?" Joppa asked. "You can't. But you can protect places where you predict they occur."
Bernama 6 Jul 11;
KUALA LUMPUR, July 6 (Bernama) -- A national conservation trust has asked the Melaka government to gazette Pulau Upeh as a turtle sanctuary as the island's beaches are popular nesting sites of the Hawksbill turtle.
WWF-Malaysia said the gazetting of the island must go in tandem with a good management plan and effective implementation of conservation at each of the nesting sites.
It said in a statement that Pulau Upeh also had the potential to become a major eco-tourism draw, and welcomed the recent assurance by the Melaka government to adapt any physical development on the island to the turtle ecology.
"The recognition accorded to Pulau Upeh as the primary nesting ground of the threatened Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is an encouraging measure as any development on the island will not undermine the habitat of the marine animal," it said.
-- BERNAMA
Call to gazette island as turtle site
New Straits Times 6 Jul 11;
KUALA LUMPUR: A national conservation trust has asked the Malacca government to gazette Pulau Upeh as a turtle sanctuary as the island's beaches are popular nesting sites of the Hawksbill turtle.
WWF-Malaysia said the gazetting of the island must be in tandem with a good management plan and effective implementation of conservation at each of the nesting sites.
It said Pulau Upeh also had the potential to become a major eco-tourism draw, and welcomed the recent assurance by the Malacca government to adapt any physical development on the island to the turtle ecology.
"The recognition accorded to Pulau Upeh as the primary nesting ground of the threatened Hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is an encouraging measure as any development on the island will not undermine the habitat of the marine animal." -- Bernama
The Star 6 Jul 11;
KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah Tourism, Culture and Environment’s proposed ban on trade in shark fins should be welcomed and implemented fast said a researcher in fishermen’s socio-economy and Sabah’s maritime civilisation.
Associate Prof Dr Ismail Ali of Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) added that Sabah’s waters were at one time – rich in various species of shark including the grey bamboo shark (ikan yu), but are now facing extinction due to overfishing for their fins, meat and jaw.
Ismail, who is also dean of UMS’ Centre for the Promotion of Knowledge and Language Learning, said overfishing of sharks was due to the high demand from hotels and well-known restaurants in the state as many tourists from Hong Kong, Korea, China and Japan enjoyed shark’s fin soup.
He added that based on Sabah’s maritime history, fishing and trading in sharks existed since the Sulu sultanate in the 18th century.
“Besides meeting the high demand of the China market for shark fins, sharks are also caught to make salted or dried fish, with Kudat, Sandakan and Semporna being the top producers in the state for these items.”
Ismail cited Semporna, as an example where catching sharks for their fins was routine work, while his research found shark fins being dried openly at many of the wet markets in the state.
“Shops proudly display shark fins to attract consumers while shark jaws are also in demand as decorative or display items,” he observed.
On the effects of fishing and trading in sharks, Ismail said it should be curbed as the presence of sharks in Sabah’s waters was important for balancing the marine ecosystem and biodiversity.
“If fishing of sharks continues to be rampant, it will give a negative image
to the Sabah government which at the same time, is promoting its marine treasures to the world as an attraction.”
He said many countries in the west had since, a long time ago, banned fishing and trading in sharks as they realised the impact of these activities on the marine ecosystem and on humans themselves. — Bernama
Frederic J. Brown AFP Yahoo News 6 Jul 11;
The Bahamas on Tuesday announced a ban on shark fishing, becoming the latest country to protect the ancient sea predator which is considered at risk due to demand for its fins in Chinese cuisine.
The Atlantic Ocean archipelago said it was banning the commercial fishing of sharks in its 243,000 square miles (630,000 square kilometers) of water, along with the sale, import or export of shark products.
"People say, 'Why are you supporting sharks? They just eat people and eat other fish.' But in fact there's a lot more to sharks than that," said Neil McKinney, president of the Bahamas National Trust, which manages the country's resources.
"They desperately need protection if we're not going to drive them to extinction," he told reporters in the capital Nassau, pointing to the "extremely important" role that sharks play in balancing the ecosystem.
The US-based Pew Environment group has campaigned around the world to encourage shark protection. Before The Bahamas, Honduras, Maldives and Palau have also declared sanctuaries for sharks.
Environmentalists say that around 73 million sharks are killed each year, generally by hacking off their fins, which can fetch lucrative prices as they are served in Chinese soups as a delicacy.
The Bahamas counts tourism as a major industry and a recent study found that shark diving was already worth $80 million a year, a figure the government hopes will rise once the ban comes into force.
The Bahamas in 1993 banned long-line fishing, which has largely prevented shark fishing. But no specific law prohibited the commercial killing of sharks and environmentalists pressed for action after a seafood company last year said it would start catching the predator for export.
"The Bahamas remains one of the few location in the world where we have a relatively healthy shark population and a great diversity of species still exists, which is important if we're going to keep that population and if they're going to replenish other areas," McKinney said.
California is considering imposing a ban on shark fin sales, which activists hope would have a major effect due to the state's large Chinese American population.
Shark fishing banned in the Bahamas
BBC News 6 Jul 11;
The Bahamas has banned shark fishing in its waters and prohibited the sale, import and export of shark products.
The new law will effectively turn all 630,000 sq km (243,000 square miles) of the nation's territorial waters into a shark sanctuary.
The ban was approved by Agriculture Minister Larry Cartwright in the capital, Nassau, on Tuesday.
The archipelago joins Honduras, the Maldives and Palau in outlawing shark fishing.
The government also increased shark-fishing fines from $3,000 (£1,900) to $5,000.
Sharks are considered at risk due to demand for their fins in Chinese cuisine - some 73 million of the sea predators are killed each year, environmentalists say.
Needing protection
In 1993 the Bahamas banned long-line fishing, which limited shark fishing and protected 40 species of sharks inhabiting its waters.
But shark fishing was not banned outright, and when a local seafood company announced last year that it planned to export shark meat and fins to Hong Kong, activists called for a new law to be introduced.
Environmentalists welcomed the ban. Neil McKinney, president of the Bahamas National Trust, which manages the country's resources, said sharks played an extremely important role in balancing the ecosystem.
"They desperately need protection if we're not going to drive them to extinction," AFP news agency quoted him as saying.
Tourism is a major industry in the Bahamas, and shark-diving earns it $80m a year in revenue, according to a recent survey.
The country's main island, New Providence, is home to Jaws Beach, where one of the Jaws films was shot. Last year, the remains of a boatman who had disappeared off the beach were found in the stomach of a tiger shark caught by an investment banker.
The US-based Pew Environment Group said each reef shark brought some $250,000 to the archipelago's economy.
Deputy Prime Minister Brent Symonette said he did not think the ban would affect relations with China, which has increased trade with the Bahamas in recent years.
"This is in keeping with the government's commitment to pursue conservation policies and strategies in order to safeguard the marine and terrestrial environment," the Associated Press quoted him as saying.
The Star 6 Jul 11;
KUALA LUMPUR: Animal parts believed to be those of the endangered Malayan sun bear have been found in a cooking pot at a restaurant here during a raid by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan).
In the 10.45am raid yesterday, Perhilitan officers seized two pieces of cooked wildlife parts weighing 1.27kg from the restaurant in Jalan Kuching following a tip-off.
The Malayan sun bear is protected under the Wildlife Conservation Act.
The case is being investigated under subsection 68(1)(b) of the Wildlife Conservation Act.
“If found guilty, the individual is liable to a fine up to RM100,000 or imprisonment for a period of not more than three years or both,” said Perhilitan in a statement.
Haze envelops parts of Penang
The Star 6 Jul 11;
GEORGE TOWN: Several areas in Penang experienced moderate haze conditions with visibility restricted to within four to six kilometres.
Based on information from the Department of Environment's official website, the records taken until 11am showed that the Air Pollution Index (API) in Seberang Jaya here was 84 yesterday.
The air quality in two other areas in Perai and Universiti Sains Malaysia was also at moderate API levels of 70 and 71 respectively.
The API was taken through a 24-hour reading recorded since yesterday and the cause of the haze was due to the prevailing dry weather over the past few days. - Bernama
Selangor air quality affected by Sumatra hotspots; Penang haze worsens
Teh Eng Hock The Star 6 Jul 11;
SHAH ALAM: The air quality in Selangor has been affected by some 250 hotspots in Sumatra, Indonesia.
State executive councillor Elizabeth Wong said the authorities would take strict action against culprits involved in open burning as it would worsen the air pollution in the state.
She said hazy skies might remain for a while due to the hot weather, with the Meteorological Department issuing a warning that there was a high probability of a fire starting.
Wong said the authorities have issued 28 compounds and charged 13 parties in court this year, with another 11 cases to be charged soon.
"Our main concern is peat soil, because peat fires are hard to extinguish. There is no water source nearby, such as rivers, ponds or hydrants," she told reporters Wednesday.
She added that in fire-prone Johan Setia, Klang, a check dam had been set up to expedite the process of extinguishing fires.
"A team from the Klang Municipal Council works until midnight everyday to monitor for fires, and of course we have help from the Department of Environment and the Fire and Rescue Department too," she said.
Meanwhile, in haze conditions continued to worsen in Penang with the air almost reaching unhealthy level in certain areas in the state.
According to the Department of Environment's official website, records taken until 11am showed that the Air Pollution Index (API) in Seberang Jaya here had reached 96, falling short of the unhealthy level of 100, compared to 84 Tuesday.
In Perai and Universiti Sains Malaysia, the API levels were 77, and 80 respectively, up from 70 and 71 a day earlier.
A check with the Malaysian Meteorological Department (Bayan Lepas) found that visibility levels in the state were restricted to between 5km and 7km.
Penang shrouded in haze
New Straits Times 6 Jul 11;
PRAI: The haze is back in Penang.
Readings taken yesterday showed that the Air Pollution Index (API) in Seberang Jaya was 96 with visibility restricted to within two kilometres.
In Universiti Sains Malaysia, the air quality reading stood at 80.
It is believed that the haze was due to the prevailing dry weather over the past few days.
State Department of Environment director Datuk Hassan Mat said the people should, however, not panic. He said it would only be considered dangerous if the API reaches 100.
"As it is now, the reading is still moderate. I hope the people will not be overly worried about the haze situation in the state over the last two days," he said yesterday.
Hassan said the haze situation was expected to continue for the next few days if it does not rain.
He advised the people to refrain from carrying out open burning and factories to reduce the release of smoke.
Haze from Indonesian forest fire blankets southern Thai provinces
MCOT.net 6 Jul 11;
SONGKHLA, July 6 – Thailand’s southern provinces of Songkha and Satun have been blanketed in haze from current Indonesian forest fires.
Thin haze covers a number of areas including a road linking business district of Hat Yai and the Muang Songkhla district, causing poor visibility.
It is believed that the smog came from forest fires in Indonesia swept by the monsoon to the South of Thailand.
The local meteorological department in Songkhla has checked the weather conditions and the fire situation in Indonesia.
According to the department, hundreds of forest fires occurred in the mid- and lower parts of Sumatra. The southwest monsoon, covering Thailand’s southern region, is possibly blowing haze to the lower South of Thailand.
Pol Lt-Col Banjerd Manavej, Inspector of the marine police division said haze has also blanketed Satun province for several days and became intensified on Tuesday. Fishing boats are warned to proceed with caution. (MCOT online news)
Robert Evans PlanetArk 6 Jul 11;
A solid shift to green technologies in world farming is vital if endemic food crises are to be overcome and production boosted to support the global population, the United Nations said on Tuesday.
And as a first step, governments and international agencies should focus on boosting small-scale agriculture in developing countries with support services like rural roads and sustainable irrigation, a report from the world body argued.
"Food security must now be attained through green technology so as to reduce the use of chemical inputs -- fertilizers and pesticides -- and to make more efficient use of energy, water and natural resources," it declared.
The report, the U.N.'s latest World Economic and Social Survey, said a sharp move away from large-scale, intensive systems of agriculture was essential if growing environmental and land degradation was to be halted.
The food crisis of 2007-08 and a price spike this year "have revealed deep structural problems in the global food system and the need to increase resources and innovation in agriculture so as to accelerate food production," the survey declared.
Food output, it said, would have to increase between 70 and 100 per cent by 2050 to sustain a world population that would have grown by 35 per cent from the present 6.9 billion to around 9 billion by that time.
SMALL FARMERS
The main policy focus "should be promotion and development of sustainable agriculture, with an emphasis on small farm holders in developing countries," declared the survey, from the U.N's Department of Economic and Social Affairs, which concentrated on short and medium term solutions to hunger.
"Evidence has shown that for most crops the optimal farm is small in scale and that it is at this level that most gain in terms of both sustainable productivity increases and rural poverty reduction can be achieved," it said.
Presenting the survey, U.N. Under-Secretary General Sha Zukang said in the long-term "large-scale agriculture is the way ahead," adding: "But to get started on the way to sustainability you have to invest in small-scale farming."
Of the nearly one seventh of the global population, some 925 million people who are undernourished -- or lacking access to enough food to make possible an active and healthy life -- 98 per cent live in developing countries, according to the survey.
Two thirds of them are concentrated in seven countries -- Bangladesh, China, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia and Pakistan. Overall, 578 million are in Asia and the Pacific and 239 million in sub-Saharan Africa.
The worst drought in 60 years in the Horn of Africa has sparked a severe food crisis and high malnutrition rates, with parts of Kenya and Somalia experiencing pre-famine conditions, the United Nations said last week.
The survey said achieving food security through "a truly green agricultural revolution" would provide a long-term solution to hunger and malnutrition and ease price volatility while protecting the environment.
It argued that the so-called "green revolution" of the 1960s and 1970s had boosted farm yields as much through intensive practices as through new seed varieties, and had so contributed to the environmental degradation the world suffered today.
(Editing by Stephanie Nebehay and Keiron Henderson)
UN: Only Green Technology Can Avert 'Planetary Catastrophe'
Environment News Service 5 Jul 11;
NEW YORK, New York, July 5, 2011 (ENS) - Humanity is near to breaching the sustainability of Earth, and needs a technological revolution greater and faster than the industrial revolution to avoid "a major planetary catastrophe," warns a new United Nations report.
"The World Economic and Social Survey 2011: The Great Green Technological Transformation," published today by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs calls for investments of at least $1.9 trillion per year to avert this catastrophe.
"It is rapidly expanding energy use, mainly driven by fossil fuels, that explains why humanity is on the verge of breaching planetary sustainability boundaries through global warming, biodiversity loss, and disturbance of the nitrogen-cycle balance and other measures of the sustainability of the Earth"s ecosystem," the report says.
"A comprehensive global energy transition is urgently needed in order to avert a major planetary catastrophe," the report warns.
In his preface to the report, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon writes that "rather than viewing growth and sustainability as competing goals on a collision course, we must see them as complementary and mutually supportive imperatives. This becomes possible when we embrace a low-carbon, resource-efficient, pro-poor economic model."
About half of the forests that once covered the Earth are gone, groundwater resources are being depleted and contaminated, enormous reductions in biodiversity have already taken place," according to the report, and, "through increased burning of fossil fuels, the stability of the planet's climate is being threatened by global warming."
"In order for populations in developing countries to achieve a decent living standard, especially the billions who currently still live in conditions of abject poverty, and the additional 2 billion people who will have been added to the world's population by mid-century - much greater economic progress will be needed," the survey advises.
"Business as usual is not an option," said Rob Vos, the survey's lead author. "Even if we stop the global engines of growth now, resource depletion and pollution of our natural environment would continue because of existing production methods and consumption habits. Without drastic improvements in and diffusion of green technologies, we will not reverse the ongoing ecological destruction and secure a decent livelihood for all of humankind, now and in the future."
To meet both the objectives of conquering poverty and protecting the environment, the World Economic and Social Survey 2011 calls for a complete transformation of technology on which human economic activity is based.
Major investments will be needed worldwide in the developing and scaling up clean energy technologies, sustainable farming and forestry techniques, climate-proofing of infrastructure, and in waste-reduction technologies, the report advises.
This "great green technological transformation" will have to be completed in the next 30 to 40 years - twice as fast as it took to accomplish previous major technological transitions.
Because of the limited time frame, governments will need to play a much more active and stimulating role to accelerate the green energy transformation, the report advises.
The survey says $1.9 trillion per year will be needed over the next 40 years for incremental investments in green technologies. At least $1.1 trillion of that will need to be made in developing countries to meet increasing food and energy demands.
The report finds the commitment set out in the Copenhagen Accord to mobilize $30 billion between 2010 and 2012 and $100 billion per year by 2020 in transfers to help developing countries cope with climate change as a step in the right direction. But delivery on these commitments will need to be accelerated and resources scaled up to ensure developing countries meet the challenge.
The report proposes to build a global public technology-sharing regime and networks of international technology research and application centers.
To rapidly spread green technology, the report says, more multilateral intellectual property rights modalities must be used than presently allowed under the World Trade Organization.
"The need for a technological revolution is both a development and existential imperative for civilization," Vos said. "This is why sustainable development is so important now, because it is not only about making improvements for life today, but also for future generations."
"Technological transformation, greater in scale and achievable within a much shorter time frame than the first industrial revolution, is required," the report states. "The necessary set of new technologies must enable today's poor to attain decent living standards, while reducing emissions and waste and ending the unrestrained drawdown of the Earth's non-renewable resources."
"Staging a new technological revolution at a faster pace and on a global scale will call for proactive government intervention and greater international cooperation," the report urges, adding, "Sweeping technological change will require sweeping societal transformation, with changed settlement and consumption patterns and better social values."
The World Economic and Social Survey comes out annually. Last year's survey called for a major overhaul of the machinery for international finance, aid and trade.
"The World Economic and Social Survey 2011: The Great Green Technological Transformation." http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/policy/wess/index.shtml
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