Best of our wild blogs: 13 Jul 16

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Red-crowned Barbet and the Green Coffee Tree
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Singapore’s fifth desalination plant to be built on Jurong Island

SIAU MING EN Today Online 12 Jun 16;

SINGAPORE — The Republic’s fifth desalination plant will be able to produce 30 million gallons of water a day and could share a site with an existing power generation plant on Jurong Island.

Speaking to reporters after the launch of the Singapore Water Academy on Tuesday (July 12), Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli noted that a repeated message from this week’s Singapore International Water Week was recognising the challenges arising from climate change.

“More and more of us have recognised the need to have weather-independent, weather-resilient water sources,” he said.

“I’m glad that in Singapore, we have started to have our NEWater plants as well as two desalination plants that have actually helped us in the last two years to mitigate the drought that Malaysia suffered and therefore gave less water to Singapore.”

Singapore has two desalination plants that can produce 100 million gallons of freshwater per day from seawater. This meets almost 25 per cent of the current water demand of 430 million gallons a day.

By 2030, this will go up to 30 per cent. A third desalination plant in Tuas is due to be completed next year, while the fourth desalination plant in Marina East will be built by the end of 2019.

The Government first said it was exploring the development of a fifth desalination plant on Jurong Island in April — just seven months after it announced the construction of the fourth plant — to “further enhance resilience” against extreme weather patterns due to climate change.

Mr Masagos added that because a desalination plant runs on power, it is important for it to be near a power system or grid.

In his speech at the closing session of the Water Leaders’ Summit on Tuesday, he also noted that demand for water engineers and professionals will grow, and they will have to be increasingly trained in cross-disciplines.

To that end, national water agency PUB launched its Singapore Water Academy to serve as a leading institution for learning and to offer specialised programmes for water engineers and professionals, both locally and internationally.

Such an in-house facility is also needed to provide training for the technicians and engineers who are needed as Singapore builds and operates more plants, said Mr Masagos. Over time, the academy can also provide training to foreign counterparts, he added.

The academy, which will be housed at the WaterHub in Toh Guan Road, will start offering courses next year. It will also roll out a Singapore Water Management series — targeting senior utility and industry technical practitioners — that includes courses covering practical, real-life solutions and best practices in urban water sustainability.

5th desalination plant to boost Singapore's water security
Carolyn Khew My Paper 13 Jul 16;

The Tuaspring Desalination Plant located at Tuas will add another 318,500 cubic metres, or 70 million gallons of desalinated water per day to Singapore's water supply.

Singapore will build a fifth desalination plant on Jurong Island to enhance its resilience against the effects of climate change.

Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli announced this yesterday during the closing session of the Water Leaders' Summit held during the Singapore International Water Week.

The new plant will have the capacity to produce 30 million gallons of water per day, he added.

As climate change will bring about calamities, such as prolonged droughts, governments must look at weather-independent and weather-resilient sources, Mr Masagos said.

National water agency PUB is also exploring the feasibility of co-locating the desalination plant next to an existing power plant, he added.

This could help to supply energy needed to run the desalination plant.

Singapore currently imports half its water supply from Malaysia, but by 2060, desalination and Newater are expected to meet up to 85 per cent of its needs.

The Linggiu reservoir in Malaysia helps the Republic to draw water from the Johor River but recent dry weather has caused levels in the facility to drop steadily.

There are currently two desalination plants which can produce 100 million gallons of water a day.

This can meet almost 25 per cent of current demand.

A third plant in Tuas is expected to be built by next year.

The fourth, to be completed in 2019, will have facilities to treat freshwater from Marina Reservoir.

It will add about 30 million gallons of water a day to Singapore's supply.

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Singapore to have mandatory requirements for sustainable packaging

Lee Li Ying, Channel NewsAsia 12 Jul 16;

SINGAPORE: There will be mandatory requirements introduced for more sustainable packaging waste management, according to Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli on Tuesday (Jul 12).

The National Environment Agency (NEA) said that to curb the growth of packaging waste at source, it will be implementing mandatory reporting of packaging by businesses, and submission of packaging waste reduction plans, within the next three to five years.

Possible requirements discussed during NEA’s industry consultation included mandatory submission of an annual report that includes their packaging waste reduction plan and statistics, as well as the meeting of packaging standards or the meeting of stipulated packaging waste recycling targets set by the industry.

"The Singapore Packaging Agreement (SPA) has been an important instrument to reduce packaging waste since it was initiated in 2007. Between 2007 and 2016, the signatories had cumulatively reduced more than 32,000 tonnes of packaging waste," said Mr Masagos, at the 3R Packaging Awards 2016 ceremony held at the sidelines of the CleanEnviro Summit Singapore 2016.

"However, the amount of packaging waste reduced - about 6,300 tonnes per year, constitutes less than 1 per cent of the annual amount of packaging waste disposed of in Singapore. More needs to be done," he added.

The SPA was first introduced in 2007 for five years when it expired, and a second Agreement took effect on Jul 1, 2012. It was extended for five years till Jun 30, 2020, with 177 signatories on board, NEA said.

The efforts of the signatories have resulted in cumulative savings of more than S$75 million in the material costs of locally consumed products, it added.

- CNA/kk


Packaging of consumer products to be regulated
TAN WEIZHEN Today Online 13 Jul 16;

SINGAPORE — To cut waste in Singapore, the Government will put into effect mandatory requirements on the packaging of consumer products within the next three to five years, Minister for the Environment and Water Resources Masagos Zulkifli said yesterday.

Once this is implemented, companies might have to report and publish their mandatory packaging waste reduction plan, and to meet packaging requirements and standards as well as recycling targets.

These were the three options discussed during an industry consultation held between last December and this May, the National Environment Agency (NEA) told TODAY.

Last year, 1.73 million tonnes of domestic waste was generated in Singapore, equivalent to more than 3,000 Olympic-size swimming pools filled with domestic waste. Of this, about one-third was packaging waste. In tandem with an increasing population and growing consumption, the amount of packaging waste here is expected to rise.

On the sidelines of the CleanEnviro Summit yesterday, Mr Masagos said that even with companies cutting back on packaging waste, the amount of such waste reduced — about 6,300 tonnes a year — is less than 1 per cent of the annual total of packaging waste discarded in Singapore.

More needs to be done, he said, adding that the response from the industry during the consultation was generally positive. “Companies recognised the need for a mandatory framework as (it) creates a level playing field and provides impetus for more actions to be taken to reduce waste.”

Elaborating on the options raised at the consultation, NEA said that mandatory reporting would include reporting the weight, volume and type of packaging placed on the market, as well as waste reduction and recycling statistics.

Under packaging standards, it would mean setting one or more of the following: Packaging weight, recyclability of packaging, or recycled content of the packaging.

The third option — for companies to meet recycling targets — might be based on the amount of packaging and type of packaging materials.

Ms Susan Chong, chief executive of packaging firm GreenPac, said that using the right combination of packaging can result in 20 to 40 per cent of cost savings for businesses: “(You can use) less material, or material from sustainable sources, or a combination of both. Many times, it can result in cost savings. There needs to be more education about this.”

NEA plans to enhance the existing Singapore Packaging Agreement, to work with companies to cut packaging waste, aiming to have a yearly reduction of 10,000 tonnes of such waste by 2020.

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Malaysia: Chemical spill leads to closure of three Johor water treatment plants

RIZALMAN HAMMIM New Straits Times 13 Jul 16;

JOHOR BARU: A chemical spill in Sungai Johor has caused a disruption in the water supply in several areas in Johor Baru and Kulai since early Tuesday afternoon.

SAJ Holdings Sdn Bhd's head of corporate communications, Jamaluddin Jamil said the ammonia spill was detected on Tuesday morning upstream of Sungai Johor.

"The spill forced SAJ to shut the operations of three water treatment plants, namely the Sungai Johor, Semangar and Tai Hong plants, immediately after the spill was detected," said Jamaluddin.

However, the cause of the ammonia spill is still unknown at press time.

The closure of the three treatment plants caused water disruption in several areas, including Iskandar Puteri, Skudai, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas and the Tanjung Bin power plant, as well as Bukit Batu in Kulai.

Some 120,000 households are affected by the water disruption.

Jamaluddin said SAJ would restart the operation of the three plants as soon as the spill is contained.

"However, it will take some time for the water supply to be restored as we need to treat the raw water, build up the water pressure and fill the water tanks," said Jamaluddin.


Ammonia spill: Two of three Johor water treatment plants reopen
CHUAH BEE KIM New Straits Times 13 Jul 16;

JOHOR BARU: Two of the three water treatment plants in Kota Tinggi that were closed yesterday due to an ammonia spill in Sungai Johor were reopened today.

SAJ Holdings Sdn Bhd's head of corporate communications, Jamaluddin Jamil said the Semangar and Sungai Johor water treatment plants resumed operations as of 5am today.

The Semangar water treatment plant was closed at 3.10am yesterday, while the Sungai Johor water treatment plant was closed at 12.30am yesterday following the detection of high levels of ammonia in Sungai Johor.

Some 600,000 consumers are expected to encounter dry taps or low water pressure due to the closures.

Jamaluddin said the third water treatment plant, Tai Hong is still closed.

It was reported that an ammonia spill was detected on Tuesday morning upstream of Sungai Johor.

Residents in Iskandar Puteri, Skudai, the Port of Tanjung Pelepas, Tanjung Bin power plant and Bukit Batu in Kulai will encounter water disruption today.

"It will take some time for the water supply to be restored as we need to treat the raw water, build up the water pressure and fill the water tanks," said Jamaluddin.

Johor Health and Environment Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat said the cause of the ammonia spill has yet to be determined.

"The hot weather and low water flow of the rivers can worsen the situation," he said.


High ammonia levels cause water disruption
ZAZALI MUSA The Star 14 Jul 16;

JOHOR BARU: High ammonia levels found in raw water from Sungai Johor has caused a major water disruption, forcing three water treatment plants to stop operating in the state.

The disruptions to the Semangar, Sungai Johor and Tai Hong treatment plants have affected some 600,000 residents in the southern part of Johor since Tuesday when the high levels were first detected in the water.

State Works, Rural and Regional Development committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said that operations at the three plants had now resumed in stages.

“We had to stop the operations as the raw water with high content of ammonia treated at the plants is not suitable for consumption,” he said in a press statement released here on Wednesday.

The three plants serve residents, commercial and industrial users in Skudai, Kulai, Bukit Batu, Tanjung Bin power plant, Iskandar Puteri and the Port of Tanjung Pelepas.

Hasni said Syarikat Air Johor Holdings Sdn Bhd (SAJ) and the state water regulatory authority Bakaj and the Department of Environment were taking the necessary steps and were identifying the cause of the sudden high ammonia levels in the raw water.

Hasni said while waiting for the supply to fully resume, SAJ would mobilise tankers to supply water to public places such as hospitals, dialysis centres, places of worships and community halls.

In Iskandar Puteri, Mentri Besar Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the state government would take stern action against those responsible for the high ammonia levels in Sungai Johor.

In April last year, a huge oil slick in Sungai Johor also caused a major water disruption, affecting almost 500,000 residents in three southern districts.


High ammonia levels cause Johor water disruptions
ZAZALI MUSA The Star 13 Jul 16;

JOHOR BARU: A high level of ammonia in the raw water from Sungai Johor has caused a major water disruption affecting approximately 600,000 residents in southern Johor.

Operations at three water treatment plants – the Semangar, Sungai Johor and Tai Hong water treatment plants – were stopped on Tuesday when the chemical was detected in the water.

State Works, Rural and Regional Development committee chairman Datuk Hasni Mohammad said that operations at the three plants was now being resumed in stages.

“We have to stop the operations as the raw water with a high ammonia content is not suitable for consumption,’’ he said in a press statement released here on Wednesday.

The three plants served residents, commercial and industrial users in Skudai, Kulai, Bukit Batu, the Tanjung Bin power plant, Iskandar Puteri and the Port of Tanjung Pelepas.

Hasni said Syarikat Air Johor Holdings Sdn Bhd (SAJ) and the state water regulatory authority Bakaj and the Department of Environment were taking the necessary steps in handling the situation and were working to identify the cause of the high ammonia content.

“This incident is beyond our control and we could not make the announcement on the water disruption much earlier without first identifying the main cause,” he said advising consumers to use water wisely.

Hasni added that SAJ would be mobilising tankers to supply water to “critical public places” namely hospitals, dialysis centres, places of worships and community halls.

Meanwhile, Johor Mentri Besar Datuk Mohamed Khaled Nordin said investigations into the source of the ammonia pollution have begun.

“We will not compromise on the issue,” he said on Wednesday.

In April 2015, a large oil slick hit Sungai Johor, affecting almost 500,000 residents in three southern districts when the Semangar and Sungai Johor water treatment plants were forced to close.

The oil slick was tracked down to tyre burning at Felda Taib Andak in Kulai, approximately 15km from the water treatment intakes.

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Indonesia passes first critical period of forest fires, challenges stay

Hans Nicholas Jong The Jakarta Post 12 Jul 16;

Indonesia has passed the first critical period of the annual forest fire season with a relatively low number of 288 hotspots detected throughout the country last week.

By Saturday, the number of hotspots had decreased to just 35, which the government attributed to the combination of wetter weather and constant patrols by the government’s joint task force.

Satellites from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), currently operated from Singapore, detected 1,043 hotspots from Jan. 1 to July 9 this year, which is down 51 percent from the number of hotspots recorded over the same period last year.

The companies suspected of being responsible for recent fires are currently being closely monitored, with the government demanding they put out fires in their respective concession areas within three days.

“During the [post-Ramadhan] holidays, there were fires in concession areas owned by three companies: one in Riau, one in Jambi and one on the border of Jambi and South Sumatra. They were instantly reprimanded,” Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar said during an Idul Fitri gathering at the ministry’s office on Monday.

After the government sent letters to the three companies, two companies had succeeded in extinguishing the fires, while the one in Jambi had ongoing fires in its concession area, the minister added.

“The concession area was still on fire in the past two days and we are chasing them [to ask for their responsibility]. If the fires are still there in the next one or two days, I will ask for law enforcement,” Siti said.

While the number of hotspots was decreasing this year, Siti said the government could not sit idly, seeing that the country will enter the second critical period soon.

“We cannot be happy yet, because we have passed the first critical period from March to June, but the next, even more critical period, most likely will be in July, August and September,” she said.

Therefore, the next and even more challenging test would come soon, with drier weather expected.

There was also a possibility for a third critical period in October, according to Siti.

So far this year, much attention has been focused on North Sumatra, a province that is usually not a center of hotspots but that recorded the largest number of hotspots last week with 112, followed by West Sumatra with 47 and Aceh with 29.

Last week, temperatures in North Sumatra reached 36 degrees Celsius, with no rain in the past two weeks.

North Sumatra Forest Care Community (KPHSU) secretary-general Jimmy Panjaitan said the number of hotspots in North Sumatra had increased drastically from only 12 last year.

“The Idul Fitri holidays were used by irresponsible people to burn forests and lands while nobody was paying attention,” he said.

Meanwhile Riau and Bengkulu, usually at the center of the annual land and forest fires, only recorded 26 and 15 hotspots this year, respectively.

“If we look at the scope of the area and the environmental condition, we see that environmental degradation in the Toba Samosir area is already severe,” Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) spokeswoman Khalisah Khalid told The Jakarta Post. “According to our friends in the Walhi North Sumatra chapter, the fires occurred in industrial forest concessions.”

The ministry’s forest fire mitigation director, Raffles Brotestes Panjaitan, said the fires in North Sumatra could still be contained as they were mostly on mineral soils, not peatland, where they would be harder to extinguish.

“It is not as difficult as on peatland, where fire can spread underground. At this time there are only small fires, which are easy to extinguish,” he said.

While the government believes the situation in North Sumatra is still under control, Vice President Jusuf Kalla is scheduled to visit Lake Toba in North Sumatra to plant 1,000 trees on July 29 and July 30, raising the pressure for the provincial government to tackle the fires before the visit.

“Indeed the challenges in Simalungun, North Sumatra, are tough, because the local government is not too cooperative,” Siti said.

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Vietnam: Uncontrolled tourism in Son Tra harms red shanked douc

VietNamNet Bridge 12 Jul 16;

The threat to Son Tra Peninsula and the red shanked douc in Son Tra is uncontrolled tourism development.

Red shanked douc is considered a treasure of Son Tra and symbol of Da Nang City’s biodiversity. Scientists have proposed to add red shanked douc into the list of critically endangered species for stricter protection. (It is now listed in the endangered EN group).

The proposal was made after the scientists realized that the number of red shanked douc is very low. The doucs live in limited areas, including Vietnam, the southern part of Laos and a few live in Cambodia, and are at a high risk of extinction.

Of the habitats, Son Tra Peninsula of Vietnam, where 300 douc individuals live, is believed to be the only place in the world which have favorable conditions to protect the doucs.

Vietnam has patrols and agencies in charge of protecting endangered species, while people don’t have the habit of hunting down and using products from doucs.

“This means that Son Tra keeps the treasure of the whole world, not only of Vietnam,” said Le Thi Trang, deputy director of Green Viet, the biodiversity protection center.

Red shanked douc is called the ‘queen’ of primates because of iridescent plumage and 98 percent of DNA and living behaviors similar to humans.

Besides, the presence of red shanked doucs show that the Son Tra forests are recoverable.

All of these factors show that red shanked douc could present a good image to represent Da Nang’s biodiversity.

When asked about the threats to Son Tra red shanked douc, Trang said douc is not hunted or trafficked in Son Tra and what most threatens them is the uncontrolled development of tourism.

Son Tra receives thousands of travelers every day, who create noise and cause pollution which may affect doucs’ habits.

“Travelers tend to bring food to the mountain and drop litter there. This is believed to be the biggest threat to wild animals. This may even lead to extinction in certain areas,” Trang warned.

More and more infrastructure items have arisen in the peninsula to satisfy the demand of the economic and tourism development.

As a result, the habitat for red shanked doucs will be narrowed. This will force the doucs to adapt to the new circumstances or die. Meanwhile, the doucs don’t have high adaptation capability like monkeys.

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