Best of our wild blogs: 30 Oct 17

Wed 08 Nov 2017: 2.00pm – Green Jobs Symposium & Networking 2017 for tertiary and JC students (registration required)
Otterman speaks...

Outreach October with the RUMblers
Restore Ubin Mangroves (R.U.M.) Initiative

Awesome October at the Marine Park
Sisters' Island Marine Park

Coastal Horseshoe Crab (Tachypleus gigas) @ Coney Island (Pulau Serangoon)
Monday Morgue

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Singapore’s water supply not affected by pollution in Johor River: PUB

Today Online 29 Oct 17;

SINGAPORE – The pollution plaguing the Johor River will not affect the water supply in Singapore despite the temporary disruption in treatment operations at the Johor River Waterworks (JRWW), said national water agency PUB.

In a statement posted on its Facebook page on Sunday (Oct 29), the utilities board said it had stepped up production at the desalination plants and local waterworks to meet local water demand .

“Johor River Waterworks has to temporarily stop treatment operations at 11am on Oct 28 due to pollution in the Johor River with high ammonia levels,” the PUB said.

“The stoppage of treatment operations at JRWW disrupted its supply to Singapore and some parts of Johor.

“Water supply in Singapore will not be affected as PUB had stepped up production at the desalination plants and local waterworks to meet demand.”

The PUB added that it is monitoring the raw water quality in the Johor River and will “resume abstraction and treatment of raw water when the water quality is suitable”.

Malaysian media reported on Sunday that an illegal poultry farm that also makes fertiliser using chicken manure has been found to be the source of ammonia pollution in the Johor River.

The level of pollution forced the temporary shutdown of three water treatment plants since last Friday (Oct 27), and led to water supply disruptions affecting 1.8 million people in Johor Bahru.

This is not the first time the Johor River has been plagued by ammonia pollution. In July last year, the same farm had been partly responsible for another incident that affected the water supply to 600,000 people.

Johor Department of Environment (DoE) director Dr Mohammad Ezanni Mat Salleh said the poultry farm on the banks of Sungai Sayong, which is a tributary of Johor River, was operating without approval his office.

But any order to close the factory must come from the Johor Veterinary Services Department or the District Land Office, he added.

Dr Ezanni revealed that, based on checks conducted by DoE staff at the farm since the previous case of pollution last year, the factory did not adhere to proper storage techniques for its fertiliser.

"The factory uses manure from the chicken to make fertiliser. Much of the fertiliser is improperly stored. The fertiliser products and chicken manure are stacked and exposed to the elements,” he said.

"When it rains, the water soaks these items and the water seeps into the ground and flows into the river. This leads to the high content of ammonia in the river.”

The PUB added that it is monitoring the raw water quality in the Johor River and will “resume abstraction and treatment of raw water when the water quality is suitable”.

Malaysian media reported on Sunday that an illegal poultry farm that also makes fertiliser using chicken manure has been found to be the source of ammonia pollution in the Johor River.

The level of pollution forced the temporary shutdown of three water treatment plants since Friday (Oct 27), and led to water supply disruptions affecting 1.8 million people in Johor Bahru.

This is not the first time the Johor River is plagued by ammonia pollution. In July last year, the same farm had been partly responsible for another incident that affected the water supply to 600,000 people.

Johor Department of Environment (DoE) director Datuk Dr Mohammad Ezanni Mat Salleh said the poultry farm on the banks of Sungai Sayong, which is a tributary of Johor River, was operating without the approval from the state DoE.

He said his department had no jurisdiction over this factory as it rears chicken and, therefore, any order to close must come from the Johor Veterinary Services Department or the District Land Office.

Mr Ezanni revealed that, based on checks conducted by DoE staff at the farm since the previous case of pollution last year, the factory did not adhere to proper storage techniques for its fertiliser.

"The factory uses manure from the chicken to make fertiliser. Much of the fertiliser is improperly stored. The fertiliser products and chicken manure are stacked and exposed to the elements,” he said.

"When it rains, the water soaks these items and the water seeps into the ground and flows into the river. This leads to the high content of ammonia in the river.”


Water supply in Singapore not affected by pollution in Johor River: PUB
Channel NewsAsia 29 Oct 17;

SINGAPORE: The water supply in Singapore will not be affected by high ammonia levels in the Johor River, Singapore's national water agency PUB said in a Facebook post on Sunday (Oct 29).

Johor River Waterworks had to temporarily stop treatment operations at 11am on Saturday, PUB said.

While the water supply to Singapore and some parts of Johor was affected, PUB has stepped up production at desalination plants and local waterworks to meet demand.

Ammonia levels of 2.75 parts per million were recorded in the raw water on Friday night and three water treatment plants were closed down. Malaysia resident in Johor Baru, Kulai and Kota Tinggi were affected, The Star reported.

The ammonia pollution was traced to a chicken droppings processing factory close to the river.

Malaysia authorities have said that the factory, which uses manure from chickens to manufacture fertilizer, will be closed down.

PUB added that it is monitoring the raw water quality in the Johor River and will resume abstraction and treatment of raw water when the water quality is suitable.


Operations halted at 3 Johor water treatment plants due to high ammonia levels: Report
Channel NewsAsia 28 Oct 17;

JOHOR BARU: Around 1.8 million residents in Johor Baru have been affected by a major water supply disruption, after operations at three water treatment plants were stopped due to high ammonia levels found in their raw water from the Johor River, local media reported on Saturday (Oct 28).

Operations were halted at the Semangar, Johor River and Tai Hong plants on Saturday, the Star Online reported.

Residents in three districts - Johor Baru, Kulai and Kota Tinggi - have been affected and the shutdown may last for up to two days, it added.

Jamaluddin Jamal, head of corporate communications at water supply company SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd, told the Star Online that ammonia levels of 2.75 parts per million were recorded in the raw water on Friday night and that levels had not gone down as of Saturday afternoon.

The permitted ammonia level is 1.5 parts per million according to the Star Online.

"Water quality is our priority, thus we decided to halt operations to treat raw water from the river," he told the Star Online. "This is not the first time high levels of ammonia have disrupted water supply. We have recorded three major incidents this year alone."

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Malaysia, Johor: Illegal poultry farm to be shut down for causing pollution in Sungai Johor

Rizalman Hammim and Ahmad Fairuz Othman New Straits Times 29 Oct 17;

JOHOR BARU: An illegal poultry farm that also makes fertiliser using chicken manure will be shut down by the Johor state government, after it was identified as the source of ammonia pollution in Sungai Johor.

Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the decision was made following a recommendation made during a meeting chaired by the Johor Water Regulatory Body (Bakaj) today.

The pollution in Sungai Johor, which was caused by the farm located at the border of Kulai and Kluang, has led to the temporary shut down of three water treatment plants since Friday.

The emergency meeting, Khaled said, was attended by representatives from water utility company SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd, Johor Department of Environment (DoE), Kulai Municipal Council and Johor Veterinary Services Department.

“We (state government) will close down the premises... the recommendation will be further discussed at the state executive council meeting this week.

“We have to take drastic measures to prevent this from happening again in the future,” Khaled told reporters after launching the “eRezeki and eUsahawan Bootcamp” at the Johor Baru Central Municipal Council hall in Gelang Patah today.

The pollution in Sungai Johor had forced SAJ Ranhill to shut down its Semangar water treatment plant on Friday after ammonia levels exceeded the permissible exposure limit.

The permissible exposure limit for ammonia set by the Health Ministry is 1.5 parts per million (ppm). The ammonia level in Sungai Johor reached 2.75 ppm.

SAJ Ranhill was also forced to shut down the Sungai Johor and Tai Hong water treatment plants after ammonia was detected downstream.

The temporary closures affected about 1.8 million consumers in Johor Baru, Kulai, Iskandar Puteri and Kota Tinggi.

An SAJ Ranhill spokesman said this is the third time its treatment plants shut down this year due to ammonia pollution.

State Health, Environment, Education and Information Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat yesterday confirmed that the pollution was caused by a poultry farm.

Ayub had said the pollution created by the farm caused the three water treatment plants to shut down on July 12 last year, affecting some 600,000 consumers.

Meanwhile, Johor DoE director Datuk Dr Mohammad Ezanni Mat Salleh said the farm was operating without the approval from the state DoE.

“The state DoE previously did not support the approval of the factory in the Preliminary Assessment Site (PAT) to proceed with the project in the area.”

“After last year’s ammonia pollution, a meeting was conducted with all stakeholders and the DoE had recommended for the factory to be relocated.

“However, no action was taken,” he said, adding that the premises fell under the purview of the Veterinary Services Department.

Johor Veterinary Services Department director Dr Dr Aida Muhid, however, said ths was not a “clear-cut case” as the department was not informed of the plan to construct a fertiliser component at the farm.

“Initial checks revealed that a licence was given to the farm to rear livestock on one plot of land.

“But the fertiliser processing plant, which may have opened more recently, is located on a different plot of land. There is no permit for this plant,” she said when contacted.

Dr Aida assured the public that her department will continue to monitor the premises to prevent untoward incidents.

Two of the three affected water treatment plants resumed operations at about 7pm yesterday.

SAJ Ranhill corporate communications head Jamaluddin Jamil water supply is expected to return in stages.

The Tai Hong plant, which is operated by Singapore’s Public Utilities Board (PUB), remains closed.

Jamaluddin said he expected the plant to resume operations by tonight.


Illegal poultry farm found to be cause of ammonia pollution in Sungai Johor
Ahmad Fairuz Othman and Rizalman Hammim New Straits Times 29 Oct 17;

JOHOR BARU: An illegal poultry farm that also makes fertiliser using chicken manure has been found to be the source of ammonia pollution in Sungai Johor that led to the temporary shut down of three water treatment plants since Friday.

The incident raised the ire of residents as water supply disruptions affected several parts of Johor Baru.

It also led to the state water utility company SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd to issue a notice saying that up to 1.8 million consumers could be affected by the incident.

However, what was troubling was that it was not the first time the same poultry farm contributed to ammonia pollution.

A previous case of ammonia pollution at Sungai Johor in July last year, which affected the water supply to 600,000 people, was partly caused by the same farm.

Johor Department of Environment (DoE) director Datuk Dr Mohammad Ezanni Mat Salleh said the poultry farm on the banks of Sungai Sayong, which is a tributary of Sungai Johor, was operating without the approval from the state DoE.

"The state DoE previously did not support the approval of the factory in the Preliminary Assessment Site (PAT) to proceed with the project in the area.

"However, it continued to operate. The farm operated under the jurisdiction of the Kulai District Land Office and Johor Veterinary Services Department, and these are the only agencies which can tell the farm to stop its operations," Ezanni told the New Straits Times.

Ezanni said that following the previous case of pollution that occurred in July last year, a meeting was conducted with all stakeholders and it was agreed upon that the factory should be relocated.

"However, there was no action taken on this, and the state DoE's notice to have the poultry farm relocated has fallen on deaf ears," said Ezanni.

He said the department had no jurisdiction over this factory as it rears chicken and therefore any order to close must come from the Johor Veterinary Services Department or the District Land Office.

He said based on checks conducted by DoE staff at the farm since the previous case of pollution last year, the factory did not adhere to proper storage techniques for its fertiliser.

"The factory uses manure from the chicken to make fertiliser. Much of the fertiliser is improperly stored. The fertiliser products and chicken manure are stacked and exposed to the elements.

"When it rains, the water soaks these items and the water seeps into the ground and flows into the river. This leads to the high content of ammonia in the river," said Ezanni.

Yesterday, Johor Health, Environment, Education and Information Committee chairman Datuk Ayub Rahmat confirmed that the ammonia pollution was caused by the premises which processed chicken manure.

Ayub said this was the third incident of ammonia pollution and based on SAJ Ranhill's investigation, it was caused by the same party.

“The Department of Environment (DOE) previously did not support the approval in the PAT to proceed with the project in the area and we also regret that the local Land Office and Veterinary Department did not take stern action over the matter,” he said.

Meanwhile, SAJ Ranhill's corporate communications head Jamaluddin Jamil said that two out of the three water treatment plants that were shut down had resumed operations.

"The Semanggar and Sungai Johor water treatment plants were re-opened about 7pm last night. Now, only the PUB (Public Utilities Board) Tai Hong water treatment plant remains closed," said Jamaluddin, adding that regular water supply to several areas would resume by tonight.


Call to impose heavier penalties on anyone found to have polluted water catchment areas
Rizalman Hammim New Straits Times 29 Oct 17;

JOHOR BARU: Residents affected by the water supply disruptions in Johor want the government to be more stringent and impose heavier penalties on anyone found to have polluted the water catchment areas in the state.

These residents, who have experienced dry taps before, said it was not enough to just impose fines as these polluters could do it again.

Sahrulerman Abd Rahim, 38, said many Johoreans were forced to endure days without water supply in the past due to the shut down of water treatment plants because of excessive amount of ammonia at rivers.

He said the nightmare kept recurring and many people wondered how come nothing was done to stop the polluters from doing it again.

"It is not enough for authorities to only impose fines or compounds on those who are found to commit such offences.

"They should not be let off with just a slap on the wrist. They will continue to carry out their activities even after a fine or a compound because they can afford to pay.

"The authorities should impose a heavier penalty like shutting down the operation of any business found to be polluting rivers. Better still, ask the operator to move their factory to another place," said Sahrulerman, who lives in Taman Nusa Bestari 2 in Gelang Patah with his wife and three children.

He said it is was a nuisance for his family whenever there was a water disruption as it affected their daily lives.

"The last time the Semangar plant was closed, water supply to my house was disrupted for about three days," he said.

Sahrulerman was commenting on the move by SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd to shut down the operations of three water treatment plants along Sungai Johor, namely the Semangar, Sungai Johor and Tai Hong plants, since Friday night following the increase in the level of ammonia in the river.

The Semangar plant was closed late on Friday night when ammonia levels at its intake point at the river was recorded at 2.75 parts per million (ppm), which was higher than the permissable level of ammonia set by the Health Ministry, which was 1.5 ppm.

The situation got worse when SAJ Ranhill announced yesterday evening that high ammonia levels were also detected at the Sungai Johor and Tai Hong water treatment plants, which forced the shut down of the plants.

The Sungai Johor and Tai Hong water treatment plants are located further downstream from the Semangar plant.

This is the third occurrance of water treatment plants being temporarily shut down due to ammonia pollution this year.

The authorities traced the latest case of ammonia pollution to a poultry farm which processes fertiliser from chicken manure located at the banks of the river.

Meanwhile, Norazilah Ab Rasul, 36, said the water supply in her area was disrupted a day after she heard about it through SAJ Ranhill's announcement.

She said she only noticed that the water supply to her house was disrupted about 10 am today.

"I knew about the closure of the Semangar plant, but the water supply at my house was initially not affected.

"It is only this morning I found that the water supply was disrupted. By that time, I could not do anything," said Norazilah, who lives in Taman Nusantara.

The housewife agreed that more stringent action should taken against those who were found polluting the water sources.

"These polluters must be dealt with strictly by the authorities. Action must be taken against them to serve as a lesson to others not to pollute our rivers," said Norazilah.

Fertiliser factory ordered to close for polluting Sg Johor
zazali musa The Star 30 Oct 17;

GELANG PATAH: A factory processing poultry manure into fertiliser in Layang-Layang along Sungai Johor has been ordered to close as it is linked to ammonia pollution in the river.

Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said the drastic move was taken as the factory had been identified as the source that caused the rise of ammonia in the raw water.

He said operations at the Semanggar, Sungai Johor and Tai Hong water treatment plants were forced to stop when the chemical content was detected in the raw water from Sungai Johor on Saturday.

Following that, water supply to some 1.8 million users in south Johor was disrupted for two days.

He said the same factory had in July last year caused a major water disruption to hundreds of thousands of consumers in south Johor due to ammonia pollution in Sungai Johor.

Khaled said a similar directive was given to a poultry farm operating near to the factory, as it also contributed to the chemical content in the raw water.

The decision to ask the factories to cease operations was made following recommendations by eight agencies including the Johor Water Regulatory Body, SAJ Ranhill Sdn Bhd, Department of Environment, Kulai Land Office and Veterinary Department in a special meeting yesterday.

SAJ Ranhill corporate communications head Jamaluddin Jamil said water supply to some areas in three districts namely Johor Baru, Kulai and Kota Tinggi has been restored.

Operations at the three water treatment plants would back to normal today.

“We will not take any risks as water quality is top priority,” he said.

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Malaysia: All logging activities near Fraser's Hill ceased, says NGO

HIDIR REDUAN New Straits Times 29 Oct 17;

KUANTAN: All logging activities near Fraser’s Hill in Raub have stopped since the imposition of a temporary cease order on Sept 8.

This was confirmed by The Protection of the Natural Heritage of Malaysia (Peka) president Puan Sri Shariffa Sabrina Syed Akil, who sent a fact-finding team to the famous eco-tourist spot earlier this month.

“(There is) no more logging and all the machines have been taken out of the area,” she said in reference to the removal of heavy machinery from the area, which measures 106.78 hectares.

On Oct 6, the New Straits Times quoted her saying that a fact-finding team would be dispatched to Fraser’s Hill to verify claims that a lorry was seen entering the Batu Talam Forest Reserve, which is in violation of the active interim cease order.

Shariffa said Peka intends to conduct a reforestation project at the hill to restore it to its pristine state.

However, she said, Peka can only do so after receiving permission from the Raub District Forestry Officer (DFO).

“We have written a letter to the DFO seeking permission to conduct the project. We are still waiting for the green light,” she said, adding that the letter was sent two weeks ago.

Sabrina said many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and volunteers are eager to take part in the restoration exercise.

On whether the interim stop order should be extended, Pahang Forestry director Datuk Indera Mohd Paiz Kamaruzaman said the department will look into the matter seriously.

“We will conduct a study to determine the suitability (of extending the stop order),” he said when contacted today.

Meanwhile, a Raub Forestry Department representative said the department has received Peka’s letter.

He said the reforestation project, if allowed to proceed, will be a joint effort by Peka and the Forestry Department.

“The department will identity suitable areas to plant the new trees and the NGOs will be in charge of planting them.”

He also confirmed that no new logging activities will take place near Fraser’s Hill while stop order is active.

He said Forestry Department officers, during their routine patrols, have not encountered any parties breaching the order.

NST on Sept 26 published a report on illegal logging activities near Fraser’s Hill, which had been gazetted as a primary forest reserve and water catchment area.

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Malaysia: Monsoon on Malaysia's doorstep, says Meteorological Dept

ADRIAN DAVID New Straits Times 29 Oct 17;

KUALA TERENGGANU: The signs of the impending monsoon are here with thunderstorms, heavy rain and strong wind expected over several states in Peninsular Malaysia, today.

According to the Malaysian Meteorological Department’s forecast, the situation will persist until Thursday.

Tourism in Terengganu will be affected as access to its idyllic islands will be cut off during the monsoon season until March next year.

Continued rain is expected to cause flooding in low-lying areas in the peninsula states. The affected areas are in Perak (Manjung, Perak Tengah, Bagan Datoh and Hilir Perak), Selangor (Gombak, Petaling Jaya, Klang, Kuala Langat, Sepang and Hulu Langat), Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya, Negeri Sembilan (Jelebu, Jempol and Tampin), Johor (Segamat, Batu Pahat, Kluang, Mersing, Kota Tinggi, Johor Bahru, Kulai and Pontian), Pahang (Cameron Highlands, Lipis, Raub, Bentong, Rompin, Pekan and Kuantan), Kelantan (Tumpat, Pasir Mas, Kota Bharu, Bachok, Pasir Puteh, Machang and Tanah Merah) and Terengganu.

The department also forecast strong north-easterly winds of 40-50 km per hour with waves up to 3.5 metres to occur over the waters off Samui (Thailand), Tioman, Bunguran, Condore, Reef North and Layang-Layang until Thursday (Nov 2).

Similar conditions are expected off the coast of Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang and Johor.

“This condition of strong winds and rough seas is dangerous to small crafts, recreational sea activities and sea sports,” the statement on its official website said.

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