Best of our wild blogs: 30 Jun 14

Whirlwind of Island activities in July!
from wild shores of singapore

Sun 6 July 9 am: Guided Walk
from a.t.Bukit Brown. Heritage. Habitat. History.

The Amazing Frog Island, Round 2
from Peiyan.Photography

Pulau Sekudu (13 June 2014)
from Psychedelic Nature

Wild kids at Chek Jawa with the Naked Hermit Crabs
from wild shores of singapore

A Colony of Grey Pansy @ Mandai Track 15
from Beauty of Fauna and Flora in Nature

ICCS Workshop 2014: registrants as of Sunday 1700h
from News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

Spotted Box Crab @ East Coast Park
from Monday Morgue

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Malaysia: Amendments expected for Forest City Johor reclamation

SIM BAK HENG New Straits Times 30 Jun 14;

JOHOR BARU: SEVERAL major amendments to the original plan for the controversial Forest City project along the Johor Straits are expected as pressure mounts from environmental non-governmental organisations and concerns from Singapore.

The changes were proposed by Kuala Lumpur-based Asian Environmental Solutions Sdn Bhd (AES), which was appointed by project developer Country Garden Sdn Bhd to prepare a preliminary environmental impact assessment (EIA) report for the mammoth project.

The proposed changes are aimed at cushioning the impact of the reclamation project on the surrounding environment.

In the preliminary report, one of the major changes proposed was to build two parallel water channels cutting across the island, created by reclamation work, almost in the shape of a right angle isosceles triangle.

The water channels, which will form part of the waterfront features, will also be parallel to the Johor Straits to encourage water flow.

A source close to the company told the New Straits Times that the changes were aimed at making the project more friendly to the Johor Straits, which separates Malaysia and Singapore.

“The main purpose of the water channels is to improve the hydrology of the straits, since there are concerns and worries that the reclaimed island may block or hamper water flow along it.

“With the water channels to be used as a mitigation measure, water flow is still possible, despite the presence of the reclaimed island,” said the source.

The water channel, which is 300m wide, could also serve as part of landscaping features on the reclaimed island, offering waterfront facilities.

Another proposal was to replant seagrass, since a lot of it had been destroyed following the reclamation work.

Seagrass is the food source of dugong and other marine life, found in abundance in the Johor Straits.

However, environmental NGOs doubted the effectiveness of replanting works, especially when the replanting zone was fronting the open sea.

A Malaysian Nature Society spokesman, who did not want to be named, said the survival rate of seagrass replanting was 10 per cent.

“Seagrass grows best in its natural environment, but not through replanting. If it is grown in an unsheltered area, the success rate is low,” said the spokesman.

Last week, the Forest City project became a focal point in Iskandar Malaysia after Singapore raised concerns about the controversial reclaimed island with Putrajaya.

Besides waiting for more details about the project, the republic had also expressed worries that the reclamation may affect the border of the two countries.

Johor Straits land reclamation project to be amended: Reports
Today Online 1 Jul 14;

JOHOR BARU — Several major amendments to the massive reclamation project in the Strait of Johor for a housing development near Singapore’s Second Link are expected, following concerns raised by Singapore and environmental non-government organisations (NGOs), the New Straits Times (NST) reported yesterday.

The changes were reportedly proposed by Kuala Lumpur-based Asian Environmental Solutions (AES), which had been appointed to prepare a preliminary environmental impact assessment report by Country Garden, the developer of the project.

The proposed changes in the preliminary report include replanting seagrass and building two parallel water channels, which will be 300m wide and almost in the shape of a right-angle isosceles triangle, across the reclaimed island. They are aimed at minimising the impact of the project on the surrounding environment, the NST reported.

“The main purpose of the water channel is to improve the hydrology of the straits, since there are concerns and worries that the reclaimed island may block or hamper water flow along it,” the newspaper quoted an unnamed source close to the AES as saying.

“With the water channels to be used as a mitigation measure, water flow is still possible, despite the presence of the reclaimed island,” the source added.

Another proposal was to replant seagrass destroyed in the process of reclamation work.

But environmental NGOs in Malaysia doubted that the replanting would be effective, noting that the survival rate of seagrass replanting was 10 per cent, the NST reported.

Last week, the local media reported that Malaysia’s Department of Environment had issued a stop-work order on the massive land reclamation project, pending further studies on its environmental impact.

Singapore had earlier expressed concerns about the possible transboundary impact from the reclamation work in the Strait of Johor and requested more information from the Malaysian government.

Malaysia media reports had said that Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also wrote to his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak about the issue, after two diplomatic notes on the matter were sent to Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry in May.

A third note was handed to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Mr Wahid Omar, when he visited Singapore recently, the reports said.

The Forest City project involves creating a 1,817-hectare island almost three times the size of Ang Mo Kio and the construction of luxury homes. The project, which includes a 49ha tourist hub and recreational facilities, is expected to take 30 years to complete.

Earlier reports had said the reclamation work for the tourist hub began in early March and was expected to be completed by the end of the year. AGENCIES

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Singapore to get even hotter and wetter

Weather considered extreme today could well become the norm, with temperatures rising by as much as 3 deg C to 4 deg C and heavy storms becoming more frequent and intense.
Grace Chua The Straits Times AsiaOne 29 Jun 14;

Tropical countries such as Singapore will be a lot hotter and wetter by the turn of this century if climate change predictions come to pass.

Weather considered extreme today could well become the norm, with temperatures rising by as much as three to four degrees Celsius and heavy storms becoming more frequent and intense.

Singapore already has one of the hottest tropical rainforest climates on earth.

"Equatorial Singapore will not just be warmer than it is now, but warmer than anywhere on earth with year-round rainfall," ecologist Richard Corlett warns in the first State of the Tropics report by Australia's James Cook University (JCU), which is launched today in Myanmar, Singapore and Australia.

Nanyang Technological University and the National University of Singapore were among 11 international universities that helped to develop the report's framework and review the final product, targeted at policymakers, researchers and others.

Tropical regions are typically those where the mean temperature of the coolest month is above 18 deg C, with a small annual range of temperature.

The report's focus on the tropics reflects how this is a critical zone of population and economic growth, with an impact on the rest of the world, said JCU media and communications head Richard Davis.

The university plans to update the report every five years.

Professor Corlett, who is with the Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Yunnan, told The Sunday Times there is a need for more research in several areas, and Singapore could play a lead role in this.

One area is developing better climate models, something which the Centre for Climate Research Singapore is currently doing. South-East Asia's climate is particularly complicated, with a varied mix of land and sea. Another is conducting experiments on how various species react to sustained higher temperatures.

Professor Stephen Lansing, co-director of NTU's Complexity Institute, said Singapore has the research expertise to model how tropical cities might behave as they grow, or to work out how to cut emissions of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, from ricefields in Bali, for example.

In the report, JCU researchers say climate change is making the earth's tropical regions creep gradually towards the poles at a rate of about 1.25 to 2.5 degrees of latitude every quarter-century - or between 138km and 277km.

This will have significant consequences for a number of issues, as well as for people and ecosystems.

Almost half the people in the tropics are already vulnerable to water stress. So if the region expands as temperatures rise and rainfall patterns shift, even more could be at risk.

An expanded tropical region could increase the habitat for disease-carrying insects. But other plants and animals could face extinction if they cannot move or adapt as warm places become warmer.

NTU and NUS representatives, including NTU president Bertil Andersson, are among experts who will discuss the report at Marina Bay Sands today.

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Malaysia: Wetter days and less haze this week, says weatherman

yuen meikeng The Star 30 Jun 14;

PETALING JAYA: Malaysians will likely get a slight reprieve from the blistering heat as more rain is expected to fall this week.

The Meteorological Department said residents, especially those in peninsular Malaysia, could expect more wet days then.

“With the forecast of more rain in the peninsula, the hazy weather is likely to improve. However, the situation is also dependent on the source of the haze,” a department official said when contacted yesterday.

He said it was difficult to determine when the haze would clear up completely because it depended on the wind direction and the existence of haze sources.

However, the department forecast that the average temperature could shoot up to as high as 36°C until September due to effects of the El Nino phenomenon.

The average maximum temperature in June is 33.6°C in the peninsula and 32.8°C in Sabah and Sarawak.

The department advised the public to drink more water during the hot season and stop all kinds of open burning as it would worsen the haze.

Air quality readings have shown that there have been clearer skies compared to the past few days.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said there were no areas which had unhealthy air quality yesterday.

“Some 26 areas recorded good air quality while another 24 areas had moderate readings at 9am,” he said in a statement yesterday.

This was an improvement from Friday’s readings, which showed that 17 areas had good air quality while 34 others recorded moderate levels.

Palanivel said 16 hot spots were detected in the country on Saturday with one each in Selangor and Johor, two in Pahang, eight in Sabah and four in Sarawak.

“One hot spot was detected in Sumatra based on 18 satellite images issued by the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre in Singapore,” he said.

At press time, most areas in Malaysia showed horizontal visibility readings of over 8km.

Palanivel said the Open Fire Prevention Action plan had been activated since February to curb the haze situation in the country.

As of Saturday, the Department of Environment recorded 3,973 cases of open burning in the country, whereby 840 were in forest areas and 1,271 in agricultural land.

“Of these, 276 cases had been compounded while warning notices were issued in 87,” he said, adding that 43 investigations for burning offences were opened for prosecution.

Moderate air quality in 10 places
New Straits Times 29 Jun 14;

KUALA LUMPUR: Air quality was moderate in 20 places in the country as at 10 am today, according to the Department of Environment (DoE).

Among these places identified on the DoE website were Nilai (with an Air Pollutant Index (API) reading of 85), Port Klang (80), Shah Alam (74), Petaling Jaya (71), Kemaman (70), Putrajaya (67) and Cheras (63).

Air quality was good in many other places nationwide, according to the website.

An API reading of between zero and 50 indicates good air quality; between 51 and 100, moderate; between 101 and 200, unhealthy; between 201 and 300, very unhealthy and over 301, hazardous.

Members of the public can refer to the DoE portal at http://www.doe.gov.my to find out the API reading for their areas.

– BERNAMA

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Indonesia overtakes Brazil in forest losses despite moratorium

Reuters 29 Jun 14;

WASHINGTON/OSLO (Reuters) - Indonesia has for the first time surpassed Brazil in clearing tropical forests and losses are accelerating despite a 2011 moratorium meant to protect wildlife and combat climate change, scientists said on Sunday.

Indonesia's losses of virgin forests totalled 60,000 sq kms (23,000 sq miles) - an area almost as big as Ireland - from 2000-12, partly to make way for palm oil plantations and other farms, a study said. And the pace of losses has increased.

"By 2012, annual primary forest loss in Indonesia was estimated to be higher than in Brazil," where clearance of the Amazon basin has usually accounted for the biggest losses, the scientists wrote in the journal Nature Climate Change.

Deforestation in Indonesia in 2012 alone was 8,400 sq kms (3,200 sq miles) versus 4,600 sq kms (1,800 sq miles) in Brazil, which has managed to reduce losses in recent years, it said.

"We need to increase the law enforcement, the control in the area itself," said Belinda Margono, lead author of the study at the University of Maryland and who also works as an official at the Indonesian forestry ministry.

"The rainforests are the lungs of the planet. You have lungs to breathe and if you get rid of the lungs, the planet's going to suffer," said Matthew Hansen, a co-author of the report at the University of Maryland.

ORANGUTANS

Indonesia imposed a moratorium on forest clearance in 2011, partly to slow losses that are ruining habitats of orangutans, Sumatran tigers and other wildlife. Norway has also promised $1 billion to Jakarta if it slows forest losses.

"It seems that the moratorium has not had its intended effect," the scientists wrote.

Trees absorb carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas blamed for causing global warming, as they grow and release it when they are burnt or rot. By U.N. estimates, deforestation may accounts for 17 percent of all man-made greenhouse gases.

Other studies have also found large forests losses in Indonesia but Sunday's findings focus only on the most important virgin forests, excluding plantations that can re-grow quickly.

Norway, whose $1 billion pledge is part of a plan to slow climate change around the world, said the findings strengthened reasons for the programme.

"The partnership constitutes a strong financial incentive," Gunhild Oland Santos-Nedrelid, a Norwegian environment ministry spokeswoman, wrote in an e-mail. Oslo wants conservation to be economically attractive to landowners, rather than logging.

She said forest losses in Indonesia may increase in coming months, with drought raising risks of fires.

So far, Norway has paid almost $50 million to Indonesia to help set up new institutions to reduce deforestation, she said. Indonesia will only start to get large amounts of money if monitoring proves a slowdown in deforestation.

Norway, rich from North Sea oil and the most generous donor for preserving tropical forests, has a similar $1 billion project with Brazil and other smaller programmes with nations including Guyana and Tanzania.

(Writing by Alister Doyle, with reporting by Andrea Beasley and Robert Muir; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)

New study shows Indonesia's disastrous deforestation
Richard INGHAM AFP Yahoo News 30 Jun 14;

Satellite images have found that Indonesia's ancient forests, a cradle of biodiversity and a buffer against climate change, have shrunk much faster than thought, scientists said on Sunday.

Between 2000 and 2012, Indonesia lost around 6.02 million hectares (14.4 million acres or 23,250 square miles) of primary forest, an area almost the size of Sri Lanka, they reported.

Primary or ancient forests are distinguished from managed forests, which are plantations of trees grown for timber and pulp.

The researchers found that primary forest loss accelerated during the period under review, reaching an annual 840,000 hectares by 2012 -- nearly twice the deforestation rate of Brazil, which was 460,000 hectares in the same year.

"Indonesia's forests contain high floral and faunal biodiversity, including 10 percent of the world's plants, 12 percent of the world's mammals, 16 percent of the world's reptile-amphibians and 17 percent of the world's bird species," said the study, published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

"Extensive clearing of Indonesian primary forest cover directly results in habitat loss and associated plant and animal extinctions."

Deforestation is also a blow to the fight against climate change, as ancient trees store more carbon emissions from the atmosphere than new ones do, and for a longer period, thus mitigating global warming.

The research, led by geographer Belinda Margono of the University of Maryland, looked at long-term satellite images.

During 2000-2012, total forest cover in Indonesia retreated by 15.79 million hectares, of which 6.02 million, or 38 percent, was primary forest, the investigation found.

Distinguishing between primary and managed forest is vital in the campaign to preserve biodiversity and combat climate change, the paper said.

"It is critically important to know the context of forest disturbance, whether of a high-biomass natural forest or a short-cycle plantation," it said.

"Similarly, the clearing of natural forest has very different implications on the maintenance of biodiversity richness."

It noted that in 2010, the UN's Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) put Indonesia's overall forest loss at 310,000 hectares per year from 2000-2005, and 690,000 hectares annually from 2005-2010.

Indonesia itself, in a report to the UN's Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2009, estimated forest loss of 1.1 million hectares annually from 2000-2005.

Margono's study found the biggest losers were lowland and wetland forests in Sumatra and Kalimantan, where trees are typically chopped down by loggers for use in farming.

In other islands or island groups -- Papua, Sulawesi, Maluku, Java and Bali and Nusa Tenggara -- primary forest cover fell back only slightly or remained stable from 2000-2012.

Greenpeace Criticizes SBY Over ‘Trashing’ of Indonesia’s Rainforests
Harry Pearl Jakarta Globe 30 Jun 14;

Jakarta. Greenpeace has described a recent study that shows Indonesia has the highest rate of deforestation in the world as “an urgent wake up call” and has called on the country’s next president to recognize “development does not mean destroying forests.”

Yuyun Indradi, a forest campaigner at Greenpeace Southeast Asia, made the comments following a report published in science journal “Nature Climate Change” on Sunday, which said Indonesia had surpassed Brazil when it came to annual loss of tropical forests.

Of more concern, the article said deforestation was increasing despite President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono implementing a moratorium on logging in 2011 that aimed to protect wildlife and combat climate change.

“Forest destruction is driving Indonesia’s greenhouse gas emissions, pushing animals like the Sumatran tiger to the edge of extinction, and creating the conditions for Southeast Asia’s devastating forest fires and haze wave,” Yuyun said.

The article in “Nature Climate Change” said that in 2012 Indonesia lost 840,000 hectares of forest compared to 460,000 hectares in Brazil. It also said Indonesia’s primary forest loss was 6 million hectares between 2000 and 2012 and it increased on average by 47,600 hectares per year over the period.

Yuyun said it was clear that Indonesia’s forest moratorium had not worked. “Law enforcement is weak and even the country’s national parks are being logged — but now is a critical time for action,” he said.

Indonesia’s two presidential candidates Joko Widodo and Prabowo Subianto will discuss food, energy and environment in the final presidential debate on Sunday.

Yuyun said whoever was elected on July 9 had to recognize that “development does not mean destroying forests, but creating responsible land use practices.”

“This means strengthening the forest moratorium to protect all forests and all peatlands, and respecting the rights of local communities,” he said.

Greenpeace also called on corporations working in Indonesia to play their part to halt deforestation.

“Industrial plantation companies are trashing Indonesia’s forests for commodities like palm oil and pulp paper which go into products on supermarkets around the world,” Yuyun said. “The scale of the problem demands action from government and corporations.”

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Best of our wild blogs: 28-29 Jun 14

15 Jul (Tue): Sea star and sea cucumber talk!
from wild shores of singapore

A return to our islands in the sun
from The Long and Winding Road

Life History of the Fivebar Swordtail v2.0
from Butterflies of Singapore

Night Walk Along Tagore Drive (27 Jun 2014)
from Beetles@SG BLOG

Wild kids at Chek Jawa with the Naked Hermit Crabs
from wild shores of singapore

Balloons kill sea turtles
from wild shores of singapore

Rainwater harvesting in HDB flats? Check out Treelodge @ Punggol
from Water Quality in Singapore

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Malaysia: 'Forest City' developer asked to submit DEIA report

The Star 28 Jun 14;

JOHOR BARU: The developer involved in the massive reclamation work covering about 2,000ha under the “Forest City” project, near Tanjung Kupang, is expected to hand over a Detailed Environmental Impact Assessment (DEIA) report on it.

Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said the China-based developer, Country Garden Holdings Ltd, had been notified to submit the report to the state Department of Environment (DOE) soon.

“Given the large area involved, the DEIA is crucial as it allows a better assessment of the project’s potential environmental impact,” said Ayub.

He added that representatives from the company as well as the DOE had met recently to discuss the matter.

The DOE is expected to complete its report on the project by next week as soon as the developer hands over the DEIA.

“If the developer adheres to the necessary requirements then they will be allowed to continue with the reclamation work,” he said.

Earlier this week, Johor DOE director Mokhtar Abdul Majid had said that an DEIA was not required as the work, which was done phase by phase, involved not more than 20.2ha. However, the total area came up to about 2,000ha.

The reclamation work near the Johor Second Link, which is being undertaken by the company and Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor (KPRJ) – a subsidiary of the state government – started in March.

The Star recently reported that the ambitious Forest City project could have potential transboundary effects and Singapore is concerned.

Earlier yesterday in Batu Pahat, state Opposition leader Dr Boo Cheng Hau, who called for a DEIA on the project, said the community has the right to know whether such massive land reclamation work would bring about adverse impact to the environment.

He also questioned why KPRJ is involved in such a huge housing project instead of developing affordable homes for the people.

China's richest woman controls firm behind Forest City project
The Straits Times AsiaOne 28 Jun 14;

JOHOR BARU - Country Garden Holdings, the Chinese property giant behind the controversial Forest City development in Johor Baru, is controlled by China's richest woman and one of the world's youngest billionaires.

Ms Yang Huiyan, 33, is the second daughter of Mr Yang Guoqiang, 59, a former bricklayer who founded the firm 20 years ago in southern Guangdong province.

In 2007, she was catapulted to fame when, just before Country Garden's listing on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, her father transferred all his holdings to her.

This amounted to 70 per cent of the company's stock and gave the Ohio State University graduate an overnight fortune of US$16 billion after the initial public offering.

The 2008 financial crisis has reduced her fortune to US$7.2 billion (S$9 billion) now, which still puts her in seventh place on China's rich list.

Ms Yang was made vice-chairman of Country Garden in 2012. But by all accounts of the media-shy family - Ms Yang has never accepted an interview and makes few public appearances - Mr Yang still largely runs the real estate giant as chairman.

According to local media reports, he has been training his favoured daughter for succession for almost all her life, taking her along to company meetings when she was a teenager.

Company insiders said she would "listen intently but never say a word".

After she graduated from university in 2003, her first job was as her father's personal assistant.

Mr Yang himself has a classic rags-to-riches story common among China's nouveau riche.

A bricklayer and construction worker in his youth, he started his business by buying up vacant land for development in his hometown of Shunde in Foshan city.

His success, like that of other real estate moguls, was facilitated by a good and allegedly reciprocal relationship with local officials.

In 2007, Guangzhou newspaper Southern Weekly published an expose of Country Garden's collusion with officials to buy a land site in Zhangjiajie, in Hunan province, at almost zero cost.

One analyst noted then that while sites in downtown Guangzhou were sold at about 10,000 yuan (S$2,000) per sq m, Country Garden's total average land cost was estimated at 300 yuan per sq m.

The accusations slid like water off a duck's back for the well-connected Mr Yang, who is a member of the Standing Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference of Foshan city.

In the past two years, Country Garden has embarked on an ambitious overseas expansion strategy. Forest City was conceived after Country Garden's first Malaysian development, in Danga Bay, debuted successfully last year.

Danga Bay sales were a big factor in pushing the firm's 2013 revenue up by 50 per cent to 62.7 billion yuan, according to its financial statement. Net profit rose by 24.2 per cent to 8.5 billion yuan.

This year, Country Garden is also launching its first Australian project, an 800-unit development near Sydney's Ryde suburb.

In the meantime, Ms Yang - who is married to the son of a high-level provincial official - looks likely to remain a dominant figure in China's real estate scene.

At the time of her public anointment in 2007, Mr Yang told Hong Kong media that "even if I reach the age of 100, I am going to give it to her anyway".

"She's family and I have faith in her."

Work still going on at reclamation site in Johor Strait
Reme Ahmad The Straits Times AsiaOne 28 Jun 14;

JOHOR BARU/KUALA LUMPUR - A strip of sandbank stretching from mangrove swamps in south Johor Baru to the middle of the narrow Johor Strait can be seen from the Second Link bridge some 2km away.

The sandbank is part of a controversial reclamation project by a Chinese developer that has led Singapore to ask the Malaysian government for more details so it can study its possible impact on the Republic and the strait.

China's Country Garden Holdings has said it plans to raise a 2,000ha man-made island in the strait to build luxury homes over the next 30 years. Its partner in the project is Johor state company Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor.

The sandbank, Johor officials have indicated, is the first part of this massive project - called Forest City - and will be expanded into a 49ha island, roughly the size of 70 football fields.

The sandbank can be seen on the left side of the Second Link bridge as one leaves Tuas checkpoint and drives into Gelang Patah in Johor.

Yesterday, a team from The Straits Times visited the site and spotted four lorries and three excavators still working on the sandbank, despite a Johor official saying on Tuesday that the developer had voluntarily stopped work for a week after the project attracted controversy.

The excavators were filling up the big lorries with sand, which was then ferried to a corner of the sandbank. The sand was dumped into waters not far from the mangrove swamps, presumably to join the sandbank to mainland Johor. It was not clear where the white sand used for the reclamation originated from.

Not far from this frenetic building site were regular scenes around the Johor Strait - a fisherman casting his net into the waters and, just beyond the mangroves, villagers tucking into breakfast at a roadside restaurant in Kampung Tanjung Kupang.

A fisherman who wanted to be known only as Ali showed his catch of the day, which included several kilograms of prawn, swordfish and mullet.

"I can sell this for RM500 (S$194), and sometimes a day's catch can be sold for RM1,000," he said. The reclamation project, he added, "will affect us badly".

He said some fishermen in the area have been paid RM5,000 by the developers as compensation for the coastal project, but asked: "How long could that sustain us?"

The project has also courted controversy domestically, with Malaysian media identifying Johor's Sultan Ibrahim Ismail Sultan Iskandar as a backer of the Country Gardens plan. This has alarmed legal experts and politicians, as Malaysian royalty is not supposed to be involved in business dealings.

Adding to this are reports that the project's promoters are not carrying out environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies, as required by Malaysian law. They are said to be exploiting a loophole that exempts projects smaller than 50ha from such studies.

The first phase of Forest City is 49ha.

Environmentalists are worried about the effect on the marine life, mangrove swamps and water flows in the Johor Strait.

Johor's environment chief Ayub Rahmat had told The Straits Times on Tuesday that the Forest City developers had voluntarily stopped work for about a week while awaiting approval from the Department of Environment.

Asked yesterday why excavators and lorries were still working on the sandbank, he said the developers had asked for "a bit more time" to wind down their operations.

KL assures Singapore it will observe rule of law

Malaysia assured Singapore that it would observe international law, amid concerns over two massive reclamation projects on the Malaysian side of the Johor Strait.

"The Government of Malaysia remains committed to fulfilling its obligations under the general principles of international law and in particular, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said in a statement on Tuesday in response to Singapore's concerns.

The minister added that Malaysia has engaged Singapore on the issue through a Joint Committee on the Environment, which was co-chaired by the heads of Malaysia's Department of Environment and Singapore's National Environment Agency.

He also said that Malaysia's federal government has been in close consultation with the Johor state government and the property developers involved, reported the New Straits Times.

One of the two reclamation projects, a 1,410ha man-made island near Jurong Island, is intended to be furnished with oil storage facilities to capture the spillover energy business from Singapore, marine construction firm Benalec told The Straits Times.

The other project, the 2,000ha Forest City near the Second Link, is being developed by China's Country Garden Holdings and a Johor state company, Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor.

This island is intended to be turned into a tourist hot spot, complete with hotel, luxurious apartments and recreational facilities.

Singapore had last Saturday voiced concern over possible transboundary impact from the massive projects, given its proximity to Johor.

Back in 2002, Malaysia had similarly objected to Singapore's land reclamation works in Tuas and Pulau Tekong, arguing that the projects could potentially impinge on Malaysia's territorial waters, causing pollution and destroying the marine environment in the Strait of Johor.

The dispute was resolved after the two countries appeared before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and signed an agreement in 2005.

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Good use of waste at old dump site

Grace Chua The Straits Times AsiaOne 29 Jun 14;

The first thing you notice about Sarimbun Recycling Park is the dust.

Wood dust, charcoal dust and recycled-concrete grit, kicked up by trucks and blown aloft by wind, coat every surface.

A battered truck that looks like it should be destined for scrap trundles along the potholed road and up a steep slope, while another carrying a load of tree branches and leaves resembles a rolling hedge.

There is more to the 30ha facility near the end of Lim Chu Kang Road than just dust, however. Tucked away in a north-western corner of Singapore, the industrial park's 13 plants handle a full one-quarter of Singapore's recycling.

In other words, they re-used nearly 1.2 million tonnes of the 4.8 million recycled in total. The rest is handled mainly at plants in Tuas, Jurong and Sungei Kadut.

They turn construction waste into recycled material for roads and buildings, scrap tyres into flooring, horticultural waste into compost and charcoal, and manufacturers' plastic scrap into neat sacks of plastic pellets. Thousands of tonnes of material are piled onto a hilly moonscape in each compound.

Earlier this month, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said it was looking into the feasibility of a multi-storey, consolidated recycling plant at Sarimbun Recycling Park, or elsewhere in Lim Chu Kang, and would work with the Urban Redevelopment Authority and JTC Corporation on the project.

The facility is not meant to consolidate all recycling companies into a single location, an NEA spokesman said. Rather, the study aims to find out if different recycling activities can be stacked to intensify land use.

In 2030, Singapore is expected to produce 12.3 million tonnes of rubbish based on population and economic growth estimates, up from 7.9 million tonnes last year.

By then, it aims to be recycling 70 per cent of all waste produced here, up from the current 61 per cent.

While that is a good idea, said Sarimbun's current tenants, they were nervous about their own fate.

Read more!

Cheap diesel sold illegally at 'white pumps'

The Straits Times AsiaOne 29 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE - As many as 10 companies are selling diesel illegally at "white pumps" around Singapore, a Straits Times investigation has found.

Although the law states that only designated kiosks can sell fuel, the firms operate their side businesses with impunity from at least 15 locations in industrial estates.

Prices for their unbranded diesel are as low as $1.13 per litre, or about a third less than rates at stations owned by the likes of Shell, ExxonMobil, Caltex and Singapore Petroleum Company.

Diesel sold by the four oil companies is now at a record $1.71 per litre while their petrol prices range from $2.24 to $2.68 a litre.

Industry players said operators of white pumps - so-called because they sell unbranded fuel - can sell diesel at a discount because they do not incur the same costs faced by oil firms.

These include higher land cost of sites approved for fuel retail, infrastructure such as underground tanks, amenities such as toilets and air pumps, and advertising and marketing.

According to Urban Redevelopment Authority guidelines, only certain industries - such as those in transport-related fields - are allowed to set up their own diesel pumps. The fuel must be for their own use and cannot be sold to the public.

But The Straits Times had no trouble filling up at two white pumps - a furniture factory in Sungei Kadut and a bottled gas supplier in Woodlands.

The former required buyers to dial a number posted at the pump. A few minutes later, an attendant appeared, who even wrote a receipt for the diesel, which retailed at $1.19 a litre.

The latter, despite prominent signs warning that the public was not allowed to buy diesel at its site, had pump attendants on hand who were selling the fuel at $1.45 a litre.

In Tuas, a company called Sysma Energy openly advertises its product. Customers must apply for a chip-embedded tag to operate its pumps. Details of fuel dispensed, time and date are captured by Sysma's system, and customers are billed later. Sysma admitted that its diesel does not contain detergent and anti-foaming additives, which diesel sold at authorised pumps contains.

Caltex and Shell refused to comment on the white pump operators while ExxonMobil said it supplies fuel to a wide range of customers, including transport companies and industrial users.

"Due to anti-trust considerations, we are not in a position to monitor what they then do with the fuel," its spokesman said. The Ministry of Trade and Industry said the fuel market "is open to competition", but retailers are governed by the competition law, as well as "various regulations", such as those pertaining to safety.

The National Environment Agency said it "conducts surprise checks" on fuel retailers. In one recent check on three operators, the agency said their diesel met its stipulated cap on sulphur content and they bought their fuel from oil companies here.

The Consumers Association of Singapore said it supports competition in the fuel market as long as it is legal.

"We support anything that encourages competition," Case executive director Seah Seng Choon said. "Of course, we're talking about pumps that are properly managed to ensure fuel quality, safety and that the meters are properly calibrated."

Not all consumers are taken in by lower prices at white pumps.

Contractor Andy Goh, 45, said: "Even though some of them advertise that their diesel complies with Euro 5 (an emission standard), I don't feel safe. Their fuel quality is very different."

Cabby Victor Yow, 68, said: "There's no point, because Comfort (taxi operator ComfortDelGro) sells diesel at lower prices."
- See more at: http://transport.asiaone.com/news/general/story/cheap-diesel-sold-illegally-white-pumps#sthash.il0GR1kD.dpuf

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Hong Leong deploys air purifiers, masks as precaution against haze

Channel NewsAsia 27 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE: The Hong Leong Group has outlined the measures its companies will take should the haze hit Singapore and the air quality deteriorates to unhealthy levels.

In a statement on Friday (June 27), it said it has deployed air purifiers at all 28 Hong Leong Finance branches for the benefit of customers and staff.

Hong Leong Asia's Building Materials Group (BMG) - which produces ready mixed concrete and is also the largest producer of pre-cast concrete for housing in Singapore - is also encouraging workers to drink more water and seek medical treatment if they feel unwell, it added.

Outdoor work at BMG's operations in Sungei Kadut and Tuas will be minimised if the haze reaches hazardous levels, Hong Leong Group said.

Meanwhile, the five hotels run by Hong Leong subsidiary Millennium & Copthorne have issued about 3,500 N95 masks to staff. The hotels have stocked their lobby shops with the masks for guests, and will continue to update them of the hourly PSI readings via notice boards in the lobbies.

"In line with the Ministry of Manpower and National Environment Agency guidelines, the Hong Leong companies have also put in place health procedures where work is reduced and even stopped, depending on the haze levels," it said.

- CNA/kk

Air purifiers work, CASE tests find
Channel NewsAsia 27 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE: A test of 10 air purifiers found that all of them performed efficiently in cleaning the air under hazy conditions, the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE) said on Friday (June 27).

In the test conducted by CASE in April this year, 10 different brands of air purifiers were randomly purchased off the shelves from retailers such as Courts, NTUC FairPrice, Harvey Norman and Parisilk Electronics & Computers. Two tests were conducted on the air purifiers to determine their efficiency in cleaning Respirable Suspended Particles (RSP) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) during times of haze.

For the RSP removal test, the Whirlpool AP628W performed the best with an elimination rate of 99.21 per cent, while the EuropAce EPU166C had the lowest elimination rate of 96.42 per cent. For the VOC removal test, the Whirlpool AP628W, EuropAce EPU166C and Philips AC4025/01 performed the best with a 100 per cent elimination rate, while the LG PS-S209WC had the lowest elimination rate of 99.55 per cent.

In a statement, CASE President Lim Biow Chuan advised consumers to compare prices and the performance of air purifiers between brands before deciding which to purchase. He also encouraged consumers to read instruction manuals on the correct way to use the air purifiers to ensure they function at their optimal level.

SURVEY ON N95 FACE MASKS

A survey was also conducted on N95 face masks to determine their availability in the market and to monitor the current retail prices. The survey was triggered by feedback received about drastic increases in prices of face masks during the haze period last year, when the price of a N95 face mask shot up to as high as S$8, CASE said.

The survey, conducted from June 13 to 15, randomly sampled 57 different authorised retailers island-wide to find out the availability and prices of the three leading brands of N95 masks – 3M, Kimberly-Clark and Paul-Boye.

The results showed that the masks were readily available from authorised retailers – Cold Storage, Guardian, NTUC FairPrice, Unity and Watsons. The most expensive mask was the 3M 9210 model, retailing at S$3.90 each at Guardian, and the cheapest was the 3M 9105 V-Flex model, retailing at S$11 for eight pieces (S$1.38 each) at Unity.

“Although there are a large variety of cheaper face masks offered for sale online or at unauthorised retailers, CASE would like to advise consumers to be cautious and refrain from purchasing from these unreliable sources, especially when the quality of the face masks is not assured,” Mr Lim said.

He cautioned parents to ensure that children reduce outdoor activities in unhealthy air conditions, as the N95 face masks sold in Singapore have not been certified for use for children.

- CNA/cy

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Malaysia: Haze - Air quality improves

The Star 29 Jun 14;

PETALING JAYA: The air quality in the country has improved with API readings between 17 and 85.

As of 8am Sunday, Nilai recorded the highest reading at 85 followed by Port Klang at 84.

Shah Alam and Petaling Jaya also recorded moderate readings with API of 75 and 74 respectively.

Most areas in Sabah, Sarawak and the East Coast of peninsular recorded improved readings with Sarikei (17), SMK Tanjung Chat in Kota Baru (75) and Kuala Terengganu (73).

An API reading of between 0 and 50 is considered good; 51 to 100, moderate; 101 to 200, unhealthy; 201 to 300, very unhealthy; and 301 and above, hazardous.

Palanivel: Readings show improving air quality all around
The Star 28 Jun 14;

KLANG: After a hazy few weeks in the peninsula, Malaysians have generally woken to clear skies.

Natural Resources and Environment Minister Datuk Seri G. Palanivel said, as of 7am yesterday, 17 areas recorded good air quality while 34 others recorded moderate levels.

He cited the haze that hit several parts of the country, especially the Klang Valley, as transboundary smoke coupled with strong winds due to the west coast monsoon near Sumatra, Indonesia.

Saying that the situation was expected to last until September, he noted that the Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) in Singapore had on Thursday showed moderate smoke surrounding the Riau territory in Indonesia.

“ASMC also reported that there are 37 hotspots in Sumatra and the wind direction shows that the smoke will be channelled to the west coast of the peninsula,” he said.

In a statement yesterday, he said the Department of Environment (DOE) director had on Tuesday written to the Environment Ministry in Indonesia, expressing Malaysians’ concern over the issue.

On the ministry’s effort to curb the situation locally, Palanivel said the Open Fire Prevention Action plan had been activated since February.

“Apart from increasing awareness campaigns, this plan includes prosecuting those caught for open burning and monitoring fire-prone areas,” he said.

As of Thursday, the DOE had recorded 3,973 cases related to open burning in the country. Of these, 276 cases had been compounded while warning notices were issued to 87 of them.

Selangor executive councillor in charge of environment, Elizabeth Wong, said the state is prepared for the worst-case scenario.

“Compared to the past, this time we have gone down to the district level to activate the District Disaster Committees to coordinate the multi-agency logistical assistance to the Fire and Rescue Department,” she said.

Meanwhile, Bernama reported that Seberang Jaya 2 in Perai, Penang, recorded unhealthy air pollutant index (API) reading of 101 as at noon yesterday.

An API reading of zero to 50 indicates good air quality; 51-100, moderate; 101-200, unhealthy; 201-300, very unhealthy; and over 300, hazardous.

The public can call the Fire and Rescue Department at 999 or the DOE at its toll-free line, 1-800-88-2727, to report fire in large areas. For further updates, go to www.doe.gov.my.

23 areas record moderate air quality as of 9am
The Star 28 Jun 14;

KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 23 areas in Peninsular Malaysia recorded moderate air quality as of 9am, according to the Department of Environment (DOE) portal.

They include Port Klang and Petaling Jaya (79); Bakar Arang (Sungai Petani), Nilai, Seberang Jaya 2 (Perai) and Banting (75); Shah Alam (74); Batu Muda (Kuala Lumpur)(73); and Kuala Selangor (70).

The others were Alor Setar (61), Perai (67); Cheras (64); Seremban, Universiti Sains Malaysia (Penang), SK Jalan Pegoh (Ipoh)(62); Bukit Rambai and Putrajaya (63).

Other areas nationwide recorded good Air Pollutant Index (API) reading.

An API reading of between zero and 50 indicates good air quality; between 51 and 100, moderate; between 101 and 200, unhealthy; between 201 and 300, very unhealthy and over 301, hazardous.

Members of the public can refer to the DOE portal at http://www.doe.gov.my to find out the current API reading. - Bernama

Penangites enjoy rain, brief reprieve from haze
MELISSA DARLYNE CHOW New Straits Times 27 Jun 14;

GEORGE TOWN: Penangites experienced a brief moment of reprieve from the haze, with scattered showers throughout the state this afternoon.

The rain brought a momentary coolness to the atmosphere, which had been hot and humid previously.

The Air Pollutant Index (API) reading for the Seberang Jaya 2 station on the mainland had been hovering close to unhealthy levels at 98 as early as 6am today.

The reading at the station gradually increased and crossed into the unhealthy territory of 101 at 10am, only dropping a notch at 3pm today.

The levels registered at the Perai and USM stations, on the other hand, remained in the mid-80s, with the current readings at 84 as at 3pm.

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Indonesia: Why bother about marine protected areas?

Freddy Pattiselanno, Manokwari Jakarta Post 28 Jun 14;

Indonesia’s 17,508 islands have a range of marine and coastal ecosystems along 50,000 miles of coastline, including beaches, sand dunes, estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs, sea grass beds, coastal mudflats, tidal flats, algal beds and small island ecosystems.

These ecosystems have been intensively used for commercial and subsistence purposes.

The exploitation of the coastal zone has an impact on habitat destruction and over-exploitation. These continuous problems emphasize the urgent need to implement marine protected area (MPA) management plans as part of an overall program to manage Indonesia’s marine resources.

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently estimated that 1 billion people across the globe depended on fish as their primary source of animal protein. A study in 2008 said governments were committed to at least a six-fold increase in the global coverage of MPAs by 2012 to manage reefs and fish stocks. The system of MPAs in Indonesia began in 1982 as part of the country’s marine conservation efforts.

Fortunately, Indonesia already has one working example of a seascape approach to ocean governance in West Papua. The threats of over-fishing and warming, acidifying and rising oceans have made the province a priority for marine conservation programs.

In the early 1990s marine conservation initiatives for management and protection were initiated by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Today, there are 12 MPAs in the province’s Papuan Bird’s Head Peninsula (BHP).

An ecologically-connected network of MPAs across the seascape from Kaimana to Raja Ampat, to the Abun leatherback turtle MPA in Tambrau to the Cendrawasih Bay National Park of Teluk Wondama and Nabire — means that nearly 3.6 million hectares are now managed through MPAs.

The peninsula is also part of the Coral Triangle marine conservation area, containing the world’s greatest diversity of coral reef fish, with more than 1,650 species in eastern Indonesia alone.

However, many local residents still live below the poverty line, many live in remote areas with poor infrastructure and low levels of human development, relying on subsistence agriculture and artisanal fishing for their livelihoods.

A report by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) said that until March 2013, West Papua was among eight provinces with the highest poverty rate (26.67 percent), second after neighboring Papua (31.13 percent).

Since the mid-1990s, hundreds of studies have examined the ecological impacts of MPAs. No-take protection for example, typically results in increasing an average of organism size, density, biomass and species richness within MPA boundaries.

Further, MPAs that protect coastal habitats, such as mangroves or sea grass, could also protect the shoreline from erosion, among others. Other advantages are an increase in cultural services, such as recreation that does not consume fish such as scuba diving and snorkeling.

However, the contribution of MPAs to poverty alleviation and sustainable development remains an area of contention and the impacts of MPAs on terrestrial biodiversity are poorly understood. Yet, the findings indicate that food security generally increases following MPA establishment, though some fishing communities experience a relative decline in their catch.

Between April and June 2013, we traveled along the coast among villages at the Bun MPA in Tambourine to survey the contribution of indigenous hunting on local livelihoods. We realized that although the villages were located along the coast, most households relied on agriculture while others earned from hunting and paid labor as conservation patrollers or contract work for the logging and mining companies. Socioeconomic research by the US chapter of the WWF in 2011 observed that no households were earning income from fishing.

In terms of marine resource management, local communities in the peninsula have long-established systems of territorial use rights to manage the access of family clans to reefs, which is fundamental to their societal structure. The customary law regulates the rights and duties of indigenous communities, including those regarding their natural resources. Their slogan “bur, nden, sem mikindewa membow” (land, forest and coasts are protected for the future) plays an important role in natural resource management.

The hunting of wild animals continues to be an important aspect of life in rural Papuan communities along the coast. Communities referred to money as the main reason for hunting, while others mentioned hunting was to supply households with animal protein sources.

Previous evidence indicated that hunting was more common along the coastal areas of the peninsula. Secondly, almost all coastal residents of different occupations were engaged in hunting for extra income and food.

Our survey revealed a strong signal that the reliance of local communities on hunting for both money and food could likely increase pressure on particular species.

Despite the demands on ungulate species (wild pig and deer), hunting practices along the peninsula also reduces pressure on marine ecosystems and reliance on marine resources that may benefit the Abun MPA management.

Despite a strong belief in natural protection through local customs, changing wildlife populations because of hunting practices along the coast affects the ecology of remaining coastal forests as many seed dispersers, such as deer and wild pig, may disappear.

Worse, impacts from deforestation and poorly planned coastal development such as landscape change because of road expansion, mining, logging and commercial plantations may increase the erosion and run-off of topsoil to coastlines, which may threaten the marine environment.

By acknowledging the negative social impact of MPAs on local communities, we draw attention from all stakeholders as our survey reveals that MPAs may also place more pressure on terrestrial biodiversity along the BHP.

Therefore, the integrated management of the land and coastal sites nearby or outside the MPA is urgent to foster rapid but sustainable development and ensure the long-term success of MPAs. More importantly, the involvement of local stakeholders in the planning, decision and implementation process are also urgent so they experience ownership of the MPAs.

The writer is a lecturer at Papua State University (UNIPA) in Manokwari, West Papua and an Australian Award Scholarship fellow at James Cook University and the Centre for Tropical Environmental and Sustainability Science in Cairns, Australia.

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Best of our wild blogs: 27 Jun 14

Singapore Marine Life for Kids!
from The Hantu Blog

Bats roosting in my porch: 1. Introduction
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Young White-bellied Sea-eagle strangled by fishing net
from Bird Ecology Study Group

Butterflies Galore! : Blue Pansy
from Butterflies of Singapore

“Valuing Plastic: The Business Case for Measuring, Managing and Disclosing Plastic Use in the Consumer Goods Industry”
from News from the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore

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Johor reclamation project 'to create oil storage hub'

Reme Ahmad The Straits Times AsiaOne 27 Jun 14;

One of the two massive reclamation projects coming up in the Johor Strait will be turned into an oil storage hub to capture spill-over oil and gas business from Singapore, an official with the company involved in the works said yesterday.

The project involving Benalec Holdings will raise a 1,410ha man-made island near Jurong Island, the firm's chief operating officer Bernard Boey told The Straits Times.

The reclamation is expected to begin before the end of the year.

The project, located off Johor's Tanjung Piai coast, is roughly twice the size of Ang Mo Kio.

The massive size of the other planned reclamation in the Johor Strait near the Second Link bridge has also sparked controversy, given the lack of details from the developer, China's Country Garden Holdings and its partner Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor.

The Forest City reclamation, as it is called, is reportedly 2,000ha in total area - nearly three times the size of Ang Mo Kio.

The man-made island near Jurong Island that Benalec is involved in is called the Tanjung Piai Maritime Industrial Park, according to the firm's website. Once completed, oil storage facilities would be built, Mr Boey said.

"Our intention is to capture the spillover from Jurong," he said, referring to Jurong Island's position as a global energy and chemicals hub with some $42 billion worth of investments.

The Malaysian government's plan to capture some of the global energy business from Singapore includes backing the construction of a US$16 billion (S$20 billion) project on the other side of Johor, in Pengerang, called the Refinery and Petrochemicals Integrated Development (Rapid) development, media reports say.

Benalec is also involved in the reclamation works to extend the shoreline of the Rapid project in Pengerang, Mr Boey said. "The route of oil from the Middle East that is heading to China, Japan and (South) Korea - if you have these facilities, you can cater to the demand," Mr Boey said.

He said that apart from the plans by Malaysia, there are international companies setting up oil storing hubs in Indonesia's Batam and Karimun islands.

The Benalec and Forest City plans have raised concerns among environmentalists because fishing grounds, water flows and mangrove forests would be affected.

Mr Boey said the reclamation works for the oil storing hub would start only after the authorities are satisfied with the way the project promoters plan to mitigate its impact on the surrounding environment. Benalec is expected to pay compensation to fishermen in nearby villages who would be affected, he said.

Work near Second Link 'has stopped'

Johor's Cabinet minister for the environment Ayub Rahmat said the Chinese developer of a controversial reclamation project in the Johor Strait voluntarily stopped work about a week ago, pending studies on its environmental impact.

Singapore has expressed its concern over the Forest City project in diplomatic notes to Putrajaya, asking it for more details so it could study the possible impact on the Republic and the strait.

"The developers voluntarily stopped the project about a week ago," he told The Straits Times yesterday, saying the works could restart only when the authorities are satisfied that its environmental impact would be mitigated.

The 2,000ha project near the Second Link, on the Malaysian side of the border, is being developed by China's Country Garden Holdings and a Johor state company, Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor.

The project, which is to be carried out over 30 years, has raised concerns over its environmental impact, including its effect on nearby mangrove swamps, marine animals and the flow of water in the narrow Johor Strait.

Work on a 49ha plot of reclaimed land as part of Forest City started in March, with plans for a tourist hub, an 80-room hotel and recreational facilities, the New Straits Times newspaper reported yesterday.

Datuk Ayub, Johor's State Health and Environment Committee chairman, said that while the reclamation is less than 50ha, the developers have to submit environmental impact assessment (EIA) studies because they planned to build the 80-room hotel on the man-made island, thus increasing its density.

A report in The Edge Review online magazine last month said the Forest City project promoters had planned to divide the 2,000ha project - nearly three times the size of Ang Mo Kio estate - into smaller plots of 50ha to avoid having to submit EIA reports. Malaysian environmentalists have expressed concerns over the consequences of the project, pointing out that the area is home to mangroves, sea-horses and dugongs.

Mr Ayub said all development projects will impact the surrounding environment, and the developers thus have to provide details about how they would mitigate the effect while the project is being carried out, and also how the area would be rehabilitated after the project is completed.

The Johor state government would monitor further discussions between the project developers and the Department of Environment, he said.

Johor Straits project: KL affirms commitment to international law

This photo, taken yesterday from Tuas, shows reclamation work off the Strait of Johor for Malaysia’s Forest City project. Malaysia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman has said it remains committed to international law, after reports that reclamation had been halted.
Today Online 26 Jun 14;

KUALA LUMPUR — Amid concerns over a massive land reclamation project to create a housing development in the Strait of Johor near Singapore’s Second Link, Malaysia has assured the Republic it remains committed to international law, following reports that the reclamation work had been halted.

“The Government of Malaysia remains committed to fulfilling its obligations under the general principles of international law and in particular, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,” Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman was quoted as saying in Malaysian media reports yesterday. He said Malaysia also took cognisance of the provisions of the 2005 Settlement Agreement between Malaysia and Singapore — which concerned disagreements over land reclamation by Singapore in and around the Strait of Johor — for the exchange of information and discussions on matters affecting their respective environments in the Strait.

The Republic recently expressed concerns about the possible transboundary impact from the reclamation work in the Strait and requested more information from Malaysia, so it could undertake a study on the impact of the reclamation works.

“There are also international obligations for both Malaysia and Singapore authorities to work closely on such matters,” a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman said on Saturday.

Malaysia media reports said Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also wrote to his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak about the issue, after two diplomatic notes were sent to Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry last month, while a third note was handed to the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Mr Wahid Omar, when he visited Singapore recently.

Yesterday, the New Straits Times (NST) reported Mr Anifah as saying Malaysia has been engaging Singapore on the issue through the Malaysia-Singapore Joint Committee on the Environment (MSJCE).

“The Federal Government, led by the Department of Environment (DOE), has close consultation with the Johor government and the project developers. The ministry and other relevant agencies are also engaged in the consultation,” the minister was quoted as saying in a statement in response to Singapore’s concerns.

The joint committee is co-chaired by the DOE director-general and the chief executive of the National Environment Agency of Singapore.

On Monday, local media reports quoted Johor State Health and Environment Committee chairman Ayub Rahman as saying Malaysia’s DOE had issued a stop-work order on the reclamation. The Forest City project involves creating a 1,817ha island almost three times the size of Ang Mo Kio and the construction of luxury homes. The project, which includes a 49ha tourist hub and recreational facilities, is expected to be completed in 30 years’ time.

The NST had reported that reclamation work for the tourist hub began in early March and was expected to be completed by the end of the year.

Based on Malaysian regulations, projects that are larger than 50ha require an environmental impact assessment (EIA) report before they can be approved.

However, The Malaysian Insider reported that, as of June 15, publicly available information on the DOE’s web portal showed no EIA report had been submitted for the Forest City project or another, 1,410ha reclamation project off Tanjung Piai, in another part of the Strait of Johor off Tuas, undertaken by Benalec Holdings for the purpose of building an industrial oil and gas hub. AGENCIES

KL assures Singapore it will observe rule of law
AsiaOne 26 Jun 14;

Malaysia assured Singapore that it would observe international law, amid concerns over two massive reclamation projects on the Malaysian side of the Johor Strait.

"The Government of Malaysia remains committed to fulfilling its obligations under the general principles of international law and in particular, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea," Malaysia's Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said in a statement on Tuesday in response to Singapore's concerns.

The minister added that Malaysia has engaged Singapore on the issue through a Joint Committee on the Environment, which was co-chaired by the heads of Malaysia's Department of Environment and Singapore's National Environment Agency.

He also said that Malaysia's federal government has been in close consultation with the Johor state government and the property developers involved, reported the New Straits Times.

One of the two reclamation projects, a 1,410ha man-made island near Jurong Island, is intended to be furnished with oil storage facilities to capture the spillover energy business from Singapore, marine construction firm Benalec told The Straits Times.

The other project, the 2,000ha Forest City near the Second Link, is being developed by China's Country Garden Holdings and a Johor state company, Kumpulan Prasarana Rakyat Johor.

This island is intended to be turned into a tourist hot spot, complete with hotel, luxurious apartments and recreational facilities.

Singapore had last Saturday voiced concern over possible transboundary impact from the massive projects, given its proximity to Johor
.
Back in 2002, Malaysia had similarly objected to Singapore's land reclamation works in Tuas and Pulau Tekong, arguing that the projects could potentially impinge on Malaysia's territorial waters, causing pollution and destroying the marine environment in the Strait of Johor.

The dispute was resolved after the two countries appeared before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and signed an agreement in 2005.

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Dead crocs will undergo autopsies: PUB

Audrey Tan The Straits Times AsiaOne 27 Jun 14;

The authorities have come up with fresh procedures to deal with dead crocodiles, after questions were raised over the handling of the carcass of a crocodile nicknamed Barney.

National water agency PUB and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) have reviewed the procedures, PUB told The Straits Times yesterday.

"In the event that any dead crocodiles are found, PUB will send the carcass to AVA for an autopsy to determine the cause of death," a spokesman added.

Observers had voiced doubts about how the authorities had not done an autopsy to find out the cause of death of Barney, a 400kg saltwater crocodile found dead at Kranji Reservoir on April 18.

The 3.6m-long reptile was found dead with a metal rod in its eye and a large fishing hook lodged in its mouth. PUB said yesterday that it was investigating it as a case of poaching but has yet to find the culprits.

The carcass of Barney, believed to be one of the largest wild specimens here, had been disposed of at a nearby farm.

Long Kuan Hung Crocodile Farm, the only one here, had said it did not receive the carcass.

Yesterday, observers like Strix Wildlife Consultancy director Subaraj Rajathurai welcomed the revised procedure, calling it a step in the right direction.

But Mr Subaraj, 51, who has more than 30 years' experience in wildlife work, said the change should be extended: Autopsies should be carried out on all animals without an immediate known cause of death.

"The crocodile was a native, endangered species - it is important to know what caused its death." he said. "In a nature area such as Kranji Reservoir, which is also a drinking water supply area, it is also important to find out what killed the reptile, as the safety of the public is at stake."

Dr Edmund Lam, 54, chief executive of a copyright association, also applauded the news, saying he was "happy to hear" it.

He had written in to The Sunday Times Letters page on May 11 after the death of Barney was reported, to ask for clarification on the authorities' usual procedure when faced with a carcass "of an animal belonging to a significant wildlife species".

"It's the right thing to do - a saltwater crocodile is rare," he told The Straits Times yesterday.

Separately, PUB said yesterday that it is carrying out work on the Kranji Reservoir to remove an excessive number of water hyacinth plants on its surface.

This is to help "maintain a balanced eco-system and a relatively clear water surface", it said.

"Excessive growth reduces the water surface area for oxygen exchange and this can limit the levels of dissolved oxygen levels in the reservoir."

It was responding to queries from The Straits Times, after a reader sent the paper photographs of machinery clearing flotsam at the reservoir. It said the growth was due to the quick reproduction of the plants within the reservoir, as well as at the rivers upstream.

Recent storms had washed the plants downstream into it, it said.

During the dry spell in February, it had not been able to "deploy aquatic plant removal machineries into the... upstream areas in Sungei Kangkar and Sungei Tengah as the water depth was too shallow", said PUB. Works to reduce the aquatic plant population at the reservoir are expected to be completed by mid-July.

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Island music and memories for HeritageFest 2014

Alice Chia Channel NewsAsia 26 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE: Many who are tired of the hustle and bustle of city life here may turn to Singapore's outlying islands for a getaway, but not all are aware of the rich culture and history behind them.

This year's Singapore HeritageFest aims to change that: Singapore's numerous outlying islands are the subject of this year's festival. The event, which takes place from July 18 to 27, will introduce visitors to the idea of Singapore as a nation of islands, and not just an island-nation.

Singapore was once made up of over 70 islands, but today has just 40, with several merged and others transformed into landfills and tourist attractions. Organisers hope the festival will help people discover lesser-known tales of Singapore's trading past as well. The event will highlight the role Singapore's migrant forefathers played in the country's development, as well as the traditions brought with them.

Participants can expect a variety of activities, including boat excursions to lighthouses and outlying islands.

Visitors to Kusu Island will be treated to a performance from the Siong Leng Musical Association. It will perform a rendition of nanyin, one of the oldest existing musical styles of China that is usually only performed during the ninth lunar month at the island's Tua Pek Kong temple.

The Association has been performing nanyin, or songs from the South, at the temple for the past 40 years, and it hopes to introduce this traditional art form to more people with special performances during this year's HeritageFest.

"When you talk about nanyin, people will actually think that it's a slow and boring kind of music," said Siong Leng member Chelsea Tan. "We wanted to change the conception that nanyin is more for senior citizens. We wanted to show them that young people do play nanyin as well, and it can also be interesting for us when we learn nanyin."

Participants can also hop on boat rides to other islands, such as St John's, where they will learn about its history as a former quarantine site. Other activities include tours to Raffles Lighthouse, which are rare as visits are restricted.

Away from these islands, activities and exhibitions will take place across 11 festival hubs, including malls and the National Museum of Singapore, featuring topics such as traditional healing practices and motor racing.

The HeritageFest is now into its eleventh year, and the National Heritage Board says it has seen more partners coming on board. Over 40 community groups, individuals and partners have contributed to the line-up.

"If people come on board, they do more. With more programmes, more people can get involved," said festival director Angelita Teo. "Last year we had more than 40 programmes, this year we have more than 60. So that growth is something that we are working hard on, to encourage more people to come on board."

Activities are free and the public can sign up for them from next month. The National Heritage Board hopes to attract 1.3 million visitors to the festival. More information can be found at the HeritageFest website. http://www.heritagefest.org.sg/

- CNA/ly


Island delights at S’pore Heritage Fest 2014
Laetitia Wong Today Online 27 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE — Those who fancy a boat trip to the Republic’s surrounding islands will be able to do so at this year’s Singapore Heritage Fest, which kicks off on July 18.

Excursions to St John’s, Lazarus and Seringat islands are among the highlights of this year’s edition, themed Our Islands, Our Home. There will also be trips to Kusu Island as well as one dedicated to Singapore’s early lighthouses, which date back to the 19th century.

Organised by the National Heritage Board, the festival will be spread across more than 11 festival hubs in malls, including nex, Changi City Point and Century Square, and will feature 60 programmes.

While it is open to those of all ages, organisers have observed notable growth in participation among youth. Said this year’s festival director Angelita Teo, director of the National Museum of Singapore: “I used to think the younger generation weren’t interested in our heritage, but you’ll be surprised! Many of these initiatives are from young people.”

She added: “I think we’re going through a point in the nation where we are trying to find out who we are as Singaporeans ... with the world being so globalised, the youth will ask themselves, ‘So what makes me special?’”

Other highlights include a performance of Nanyin music by the Siong Leng Musical Association on Kusu Island.

Singapore Heritage Fest 2014 runs till July 27. Registration for events starts on July 1. For more information, visit http://www.heritagefest.sg.

Heritage Fest to focus on our isles
Gurveen Kaur My Paper AsiaOne 27 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE - Sail back in time to explore Singapore's lesser-known islands and lighthouses to better understand the country's trading past.

That is the aim of this year's Singapore HeritageFest, which will feature boat excursions to three southern islands and even take visitors to Raffles Lighthouse, which has stood tall on Pulau Satumu since 1885.

The lighthouse tour, the festival's first, will be conducted for two days during the 10-day festival, where participants will tour the lighthouse and climb some 90 steps to the top of the tower.

On the way to Raffles Lighthouse, participants will sail by the Sultan Shoal Lighthouse, located near Jurong Island.

This year's festival, to be held from July 18 to 27, will focus on Singapore's island heritage, with the theme Our Islands, Our Home.

Once home to over 70 islands, "Singapore is not just an island nation, but also a nation of islands", said Marcus Ng, one of the curators behind the exhibition Balik Pulau: Stories From Singapore's Islands at the National Museum of Singapore.

Today, about 40 islands remain, thanks to land reclamation.

Beyond popular islands like Pulau Ubin, the festival will cover lesser-known ones, like former quarantine centre St John's Island, as well as Lazarus and Seringat Islands, which house a coastal landscape and a "secret" swimming cove.

Those who do not want to wet their feet can visit the 11 Festival Hubs located at malls islandwide that touch on the heritage brought to the islands by our forefathers, such as Singapore's iconic shophouses and the story behind their architecture.

There will also be over 60 programmes during the festival, including food and heritage trails in Balestier and a performance of Nanyin, an ancient Chinese musical art form also known as "music of the south", on Kusu Island.

Administrative officer Low Qiu Ying, 25, said: "I have always wanted to visit St John's Island and find out more about its significance to Singapore's history, so the tour will be an ideal way to not only explore the island, but two others as well."

Go island-hopping at this year's HeritageFest
Audrey Tan The Straits Times AsiaOne 29 Jun 14;

Visitors to next month's Singapore HeritageFest will get to sail back in time for a glimpse of the Republic's island history, and explore a lighthouse that is usually out of bounds.

They will get to see the former Fullerton Lighthouse from the bus, sail past the one on Sultan Shoal, near Jurong Island, and explore Raffles Lighthouse which dates back to 1885 and is on Pulau Satumu, Singapore's southern-most land possession.

Yesterday, the National Heritage Board, the body behind the event, gave details of the festival, which aims to intrigue visitors with "lesser- known tales of our trading past".

Besides conducting a lighthouse trail for the first time, this 11th edition of the yearly festival is focusing on Singapore's island heritage - another first.

A lesser-known fact about Singapore is that it was actually made up of not just one island, but more than 70 of them.

Some have been lost due to land reclamation, but visitors can still visit the tranquil St John's, Lazarus and Seringat islands, the religious Kusu Island, or Tanjong Rimau - a lesser known part of Sentosa - on three island-hopping excursions during the festival.

Themed Our Islands, Our Home, the festival, to be held from July 18 to 27, also hopes to help Singaporeans get in touch with their roots by showcasing the cultures and traditions of the migrants who settled here.

For instance, visitors can enjoy traditional performances, which include the lion dance or nanyin ("music of the south" in Chinese).

Originally from China's Fujian province, nanyin performances were popular with devotees visiting the temples on Kusu Island, south of Singapore, during the pilgrimage season in the 1970s.

The popularity of nanyin may have faded, but festival-goers will get to hear the music enjoyed by their forefathers.

"Usually, the nanyin performances are held only during the ninth lunar month at the Tua Pek Kong temple (on Kusu)," said Ms Celestina Wang, vice-chairman of Siong Leng Musical Association, which is putting up a nanyin performance on Kusu for the festival.

"But we feel that Singapore HeritageFest will be a good platform to showcase this traditional art form to the public," she added.

There will be more than 60 different programmes on the mainland and on the surrounding islands during next month's event.

Eleven festival hubs will also be set up at locations such as Century Square, Changi City Point and the National Museum of Singapore.

Visitors can learn more about Singapore's myths and legends and Peranakan culture through activities such as exhibitions, storytelling sessions and face and body art painting.

Festival director Angelita Teo was heartened by the growing number of past festival contributors coming back this year. "Their contributions will allow more people to understand our heritage," she said.

National University of Singapore business undergraduate Jason Ng, 24, said he was keen to attend this year's festival.

He said it is good to explore the islands during HeritageFest since there will be activities then. "It's a good opportunity for couples and families to bond," he said

Sign up from July 1 to join in the fun

LIGHTHOUSE TRAIL

When: July 19 and 20
Time: 7.30am to 12.30pm or 1.30pm to 6.30pm
Where: Meet at National Museum of Singapore (NMS) bus bay, Level 2. Register at www.heritagefest.sg from July 1. Each session is limited to 30 participants.

ISLAND-HOPPING TRAILS

A Night of Nanyin at Kusu
When: July 26
Time: 4pm to 9pm
Where: Meet at NMS bus bay, Level 2; Register at www.heritagefest.sg from July 1. Each session is limited to 100 participants.

Tanjong Rimau Walk, Sentosa
When: July 16
Time: 7am to 10.30am
Where: Meet at NMS bus bay, Level 2; Register at www.heritagefest.sg from July 1. Each session is limited to 30 participants.


Homes, Hills and Habitats: A Morning at St John's, Lazarus and Seringat
When: July 19 and 27
Time: 7am to 1pm
Where: Meet at NMS bus bay, Level 2; Register at www.heritagefest.sg from July 1. Each session is limited to 30 participants.


OTHER ACTIVITIES

Pulau Ubin on Film: A Screening of Moving Gods
When: July 20
Time: 4pm to 6pm
Where: NMS Gallery Theatre, Basement; Register at www.heritagefest.sg from July 1. First come, first served for up to 245 people.

The City in Bukit Brown Walk
When: July 20 and 27
Time: 8.30am to noon
Where: Meet at NMS bus bay, Level 2; Register at www.heritagefest.sg from July 1. First come, first served for up to 25 people per session.

Admission is free for all events, but age and other restrictions might apply.

For more information, go to the www.heritagefest.sg website.

Three Singapore lighthouses soon to be opened to the public
Tung Shi Yun The Straits Times AsiaOne 28 Jun 14;

Lighthouses have been faithfully serving as beacons of light since the 1900s, guiding ships and mariners eager to anchor at Singapore's harbours.

Starting next month, visitors will get the opportunity to explore and learn about some of Singapore's historic lighthouses in the Lighthouse Trail, organised by the National Heritage Board (NHB) as part of this year's Singapore HeritageFest. For the first time, the lighthouses will be open to the public for viewing.

We look back at the three lighthouses featured in the upcoming trail.

1) Raffles Lighthouse

The Raffles Lighthouse was named after, and dedicated to the memory of, Sir Stamford Raffles, who founded Singapore in 1819. It is located on Pulau Satumu, formerly known as Coney Island, and is the southernmost islet of SIngapore. Standing 23km southwest of Singapore, it is on the South Channel Sea passage and marks the western entrance to the Singapore Strait.

On May 24, 1854, the Raffles Lighthouse Foundation Stone and the Raffles Lighthouse Memorial Tablet were laid by William J. Butterworth, governor of the Straits Settlements. After a masonic ceremony and a celebration with much military fanfare, building started with the help of Indian convicts and other labourers, who served as stone-cutters, blasters and labourers. The lighthouse began operations on Dec 1, 1855 and is still in operation today.

Designed by John Bennet, a civil and mechanical engineer, the structure is a round granite tower with a lantern and gallery attached to a two-storey keeper's house. The entire structure is painted in white and stands a mere 9.1m above sea level. Mr. Syed Hassan, who currently resides in the tower and helps to maintain it, is the oldest lighthouse keeper in Singapore.

The lighthouse is accessible only by boat, and visitors are only allowed to view it from a distance due to an exclusion zone that surrounds the tower. It will, however, soon be open to the public as part of NHB's Lighthouse Trail.

2) Sultan Shoal Lighthouse

The Sultan Shoal Lighthouse was built in 1895, and is located on the island of Selat Jurong, in the Western Anchorage of Singapore. The tower is painted white and the roof of the keeper's house is painted red. It has a mix of Oriental and Victorian design, oddly resembling a two-storey bungalow growing out of the sea.

The lighthouse was one of the key beacons that guided ships approaching Singapore from the West at a time when pirate attacks were rife. There were two loaded rifles with fixed bayonets as well as three swords in the keeper's office for resisting pirate attacks in its early days. The tower was rebuilt in 1931 to accommodate the installation of more modern lighting equipment.

The lighthouse was automated in 1984 and is currently unmanned.

3) Fullerton Lighthouse

The now-decommissioned Fullerton Lighthouse is situated atop a small white concrete structure on the roof of the Fullerton building. Standing 47.9m above sea level, it is visible to ships 48.3km away.

In 1958, the S$33,000 structure took over the defunct 103-year-old Fort Canning Lighthouse in guiding ships and mariners into the harbour. But its function was hampered in 1980 by the construction of towering buildings at Marina Centre on reclaimed land and the strong lighting background at the waterfront. Its function was taken over by the Bedok Lighthouse, located on top of a block of flats in Marine Parade (now atop Lagoon View condominium in Bedok) and which started operations in 1978.

The Fullerton Lighthouse was acquired by the then Sentosa Martime Museum as a working exhibit. It has since moved to a new location as an artifact near Harbourfront Towers opposite Sentosa.

Heritage Fest to focus on our isles
Gurveen Kaur My Paper AsiaOne 27 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE - Sail back in time to explore Singapore's lesser-known islands and lighthouses to better understand the country's trading past.

That is the aim of this year's Singapore HeritageFest, which will feature boat excursions to three southern islands and even take visitors to Raffles Lighthouse, which has stood tall on Pulau Satumu since 1885.

The lighthouse tour, the festival's first, will be conducted for two days during the 10-day festival, where participants will tour the lighthouse and climb some 90 steps to the top of the tower.

On the way to Raffles Lighthouse, participants will sail by the Sultan Shoal Lighthouse, located near Jurong Island.

This year's festival, to be held from July 18 to 27, will focus on Singapore's island heritage, with the theme Our Islands, Our Home.

Once home to over 70 islands, "Singapore is not just an island nation, but also a nation of islands", said Marcus Ng, one of the curators behind the exhibition Balik Pulau: Stories From Singapore's Islands at the National Museum of Singapore.

Today, about 40 islands remain, thanks to land reclamation.

Beyond popular islands like Pulau Ubin, the festival will cover lesser-known ones, like former quarantine centre St John's Island, as well as Lazarus and Seringat Islands, which house a coastal landscape and a "secret" swimming cove.

Those who do not want to wet their feet can visit the 11 Festival Hubs located at malls islandwide that touch on the heritage brought to the islands by our forefathers, such as Singapore's iconic shophouses and the story behind their architecture.

There will also be over 60 programmes during the festival, including food and heritage trails in Balestier and a performance of Nanyin, an ancient Chinese musical art form also known as "music of the south", on Kusu Island.

Administrative officer Low Qiu Ying, 25, said: "I have always wanted to visit St John's Island and find out more about its significance to Singapore's history, so the tour will be an ideal way to not only explore the island, but two others as well."

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Community hospitals gear up for haze season

Li Zheng Yi Channel NewsAsia 26 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE: At least two community hospitals in Singapore are gearing up for the hot and hazy weather ahead, and top on their minds is their patients' health and comfort.

Kwong Wai Shiu hospital installed a customised ventilation system late last year. Since the hot weather season started, the system has lowered temperatures in this ward.

Another community hospital, Bright Vision, has started using half of the 60 portable air-conditioners it bought last year.

Hardware aside, hospital directors say if severe haze conditions hit, they may have to tweak patients' treatment too. Many of their patients require occupational and physiotherapy, which can be demanding for the elderly.

"If the air quality drops, we will have to scale back the intensity of the treatment,” said Professor Lee Kheng Hock, Medical Director of Bright Vision Hospital. “Unfortunately, this would mean that we have to prolong their stay in hospital so they can have more time to recuperate and reach the level of function that we aim for. This, in turn, would lead to a delay in discharge which would be very unfortunate because we are trying our best to bring them back safely to their home as soon as possible."

- CNA/xy

In case of haze: CapitaLand unveils measures to protect staff and tenants
Channel NewsAsia 26 Jun 14;

SINGAPORE: CapitaLand on Thursday (June 26) unveiled a number of haze-related measures for its employees and other stakeholders, including ensuring workplace conditions comply with guidelines issued by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and the National Environment Agency (NEA).

In a statement, Mr Tan Seng Chai, Group Chief Corporate Officer at CapitaLand, said the health and safety of its stakeholders is of "utmost importance". As such, he said main contractors and sub-contractors at all CapitaLand project sites are required to comply with guidelines issued by MOM and NEA to protect employees from the effects of haze.

Indonesia's disaster agency on Wednesday warned that haze could return to Singapore and Malaysia after a jump in forest fires in the Riau province on western Sumatra. A total of 366 hotspots were detected in the province, up from 97 on Tuesday, the agency said.

Experts had earlier said the haze expected to hit Singapore during the dry season between June and October could be prolonged if a strong El Nino effect sets in to compound the effects of illegal land clearing in Indonesia.

WORST-CASE SCENARIOS

The real estate group will conduct risk assessment to determine whether outdoor lifting operations involving tower and mobile cranes should cease due to the foreseeable risk of poor visibility, Mr Tan said.

The company is already monitoring PSI readings at its office buildings, shopping malls, serviced residences and work sites, but procedures are in place for staff at its properties to update tenants, shoppers and guests on the readings and advise them on precautionary measures, he added.

In addition, external features will be closed and outdoor events postponed should the PSI reading cross 150, Mr Tan said.

Internally, the organisation has prepared a sufficient supply of masks to be available to more than 2,000 Singapore-based CapitaLand staff in the event of haze. Managers are also empowered to assess and allow staff to work from home should there be a need to, he said.

Mr Tan said the Group has changed its paper supply for its Singapore office to Forest Stewardship Council-certified mixed paper, to ensure the paper is not sourced from illegal logging or other destructive forestry practices.

- CNA/kk

Jump in sales of N95 masks ahead of haze season
Cheryl Faith Wee The Straits Times AsiaOne 30 Jun 14;

The haze may not have descended on Singapore yet, but some people are not taking chances.

Two major pharmacy chains have seen a jump in sales of N95 masks in the last one or two months, though checks by the Consumers Association of Singapore (Case) show that these are still "readily available".

At Unity pharmacies, sales of masks have gone up by about 20 per cent this month and in May, compared with April. Last year, the company sold one million N95 face masks.

Mr Andy Wan, director of wholesale and housebrand at NTUC Unity Healthcare, said the company expects "a significant increase" in face mask sales when the haze returns and is ready to "quickly replenish the masks at our 54 outlets whenever stocks run low".

"We are also stocking up on other haze-related items such as eye drops, inhalers and medication to relieve throat irritation," he added.

Watsons has also seen "a surge in demand after recent haze reports in the news", said Mr Benedict Leong, marketing director of Watsons Singapore. It has sold 50 per cent more N95 masks for this month and May, over April.

Meanwhile, in anticipation of the haze, Case checked with 57 authorised retailers of N95 masks from June 13 to 15 and found them "readily available", it said in a press statement yesterday.

It carried out the price and availability checks, given that the price of these masks rose to $8 each last year.

N95 masks of good quality are those certified by a national work health body in the US to be at least 95 per cent effective in filtering fine particles.

Case's checks found that a N95 mask costs between $1.38 and $3.90, depending on the model and manufacturer. It warned consumers against buying masks from unreliable sources and noted that N95 masks in Singapore are not designed to fit children.

Besides checking on face masks, Case also tested 10 randomly selected brands of air purifiers.

In haze conditions, all of them efficiently removed respirable suspended particles (RSP) and volatile organic compounds (VOC).

The former refers to atmospheric particles with diameters of 10 micrometres or less, while the latter refers to organic chemicals that have a high vapour pressure at ordinary room temperature. High levels of them are harmful.

On average, the 10 purifiers had an elimination rate of 98.37 per cent for RSP and 99.78 per cent for VOC.

At least one major store has seen brisk air purifier sales. Courts has seen demand for these go up by three times on average this year over last year, said Mr Tim Luce, country chief executive of Courts Singapore.

Finance manager Andrew Tan, 62, has already bought an air purifier and N95 face masks for his family. "I was caught by surprise last year when I went to several stores and N95 masks were out of stock at all of them. This time around... I am better prepared."

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